Athani likely to get agriculture college

Chief minister Jagadish Shettar inaugurated the Halyal, Karimasuti and Savalgi Tungala lift irrigation schemes under the Hipparagi Irrigation project at Kategere village of Athani taluk here on Sunday. 

Shettar claimed that the BJP government had managed to change the face of Athani taluk which was considered to be the most backward taluk. "When I was the revenue minister, nearly 25 gram panchayats passed a resolution seeking to be merged with Maharashtra. Now, looking at the development here,GPs in Maharashtra were asking its government to merge them with Karnataka," he claimed. 

He also assured MLA Lakshman Savadi that once agriculture minister sends a proposal for the agriculture college in Athani, it will be sanctioned in the next Cabinet meeting. 

The Hipparagi project will utilize 12.10 tmcft of water and irrigate nearly 75,000 hectares of land in drought-prone taluks of Athani and Chikkodi in Belgaum and Jamkhandi taluk in Bagalkot. The project, taken up in 1973, will benefit 56 villages in the three taluks and cost the government Rs 1,300 crore. The project is expected to reduce the migration of farmers to Maharashtra and other states as there will be enough water for taking up agricultural activities through the year. 

The major beneficiary of the project will be Athani, where 61,497 hectares of land will be irrigated. In Jamkhandi, where the barrage has been constructed, 9,045 hectares of land will be irrigated and in Chikkodi taluk, 4,200 hectares of land will be irrigated. 

'Savadi is innocent' 

Former CM B S Yeddyurappa defended MLA Lakshman Savadi saying he did not do any wrong and it was unfortunate that he had to step down as minister. 

Krishna's return won't affect BJP: Shettar 

HUBLI: Return of Congress leader S M Krishna to state politics will not have any impact on the BJP in the state, according to chief minister Jagadish Shettar here on Sunday. 

He said Krishna's charisma will not affect the BJP now. "TheCongress was defeated in the 2004 elections under the leadership of Krishna. So, his entry to the state politics will not at all affect BJP's poll prospects,'' he added. Asked whether the BJP's high command is willing to retain former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa in the party, Shettar said,"We are making all efforts to retain Yeddyurappa in the BJP. Party top leaders are likely to hold discussions with him to convince him to drop his decision to quit the BJP and retain him in BJP in next few days,'' he said.

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