Dam mishap: Faulty crest gate maker will be punished: Minister

Mysore, Oct 10 (UNI) Karnataka Water Resources Minister K S Eshwarappa today said a preliminary report on the Taraka dam crest gate collapse had been received and the guilty would be punished.

Speaking to newspersons after inspecting that dam site in H D Kote taluk in this district, where a crest gate collapsed on October seven leading to 1.73 TMC FT of water going waste, he said the report prepared by an irrigation expert stated that a fabrication defect had caused the mishap.

Taking serious note of the incident, he said the guilty would be punished, while action would also be taken against the officials on duty at the dam site.

Mr Eshwarappa said the Government had issued a circular to officials incharge of all reservoirs in the State to take note of the Taraka incident and maintain equipment to avoid recurrence of such mishaps.

Stating that erection of a new gate would be taken up immediately, he said the outflow had stopped and nearly 1.73 TMC FT of water, out of 3.93 TMC FT stored in the dam, had flown into the Kabini river.

The Minister assured that farmers, who had suffered crop loss during the floods, would be suitably compensated. Water would be released from the dam for the coming summer crops after the collapsed gate was replaced.

The dam across Kabini river was completed in 1983 and for the first time it had reached its full level of 2425 ft during this monsoon, following copious rains in neighbouring Kerala.

He said 39 irrigation projects at a cost of Rs 1,047 crore had been taken up in the State. In Cauvery basin, 11 projects had been taken up, out of which three were completed and the rest would be completed as per schedule.

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