General
Bengaluru: Chief minister Siddaramaiah will convene a special cabinet meeting on Sept 16 to take key policy decisions on land acquisition for the Upper Krishna Project (UKP)-III, which includes raising the height of the Almatti Dam and granting compensation to affected landowners.Siddaramaiah had met farmers and representatives from the region Wednesday and reaffirmed his govt’s commitment to implement the project while safeguarding landowners’ interests. Although the issue was expected to be discussed in Thursday’s cabinet meeting, the cabinet instead decided to hold a separate meeting to deliberate on pending legal hurdles, land acquisition challenges, and other procedural matters before taking a final policy call.“The CM has categorically expressed the govt’s commitment to implement the UKP-III project after yesterday’s meeting. In this backdrop, the cabinet discussed the issue and decided to convene a special meeting as there are many issues, including court cases, procedural obligations and land acquisition to be addressed,” law and parliamentary affairs minister HK Patil said, briefing reporters on cabinet decisions.
The govt’s plan to increase the dam’s height from the current 517 metres to 524.2 metres follows the Brijesh Kumar Tribunal award and aims to add 100 tmcft of storage capacity, enabling irrigation of an additional 6 lakh hectares. However, the expansion will submerge 20 villages and parts of Bagalkot town.The Almatti Dam is the largest reservoir in Karnataka by storage capacity.The project requires the acquisition of 1.3 lakh acres for relief, rehabilitation, and a water distribution network.
Its estimated cost has risen from Rs 55,148 crore in 2018 to Rs 87,818 crore, largely due to rising land prices and delays in the Centre’s gazette notification. Land acquisition costs alone have jumped from Rs 17,627 crore to Rs 40,557 crore. Siddaramaiah has allocated Rs 5,563 crore in this year’s budget as an initial fund.Panel on co-op societiesThe cabinet also approved the formation of a subcommittee to examine a proposal to set up multipurpose cooperative societies to supply outsourced staff to govt departments and safeguard their labour rights.“At present, private agencies are providing outsourced employees. It is found necessary that there is a regulatory mechanism to prevent exploitation of these employees. And proper guidelines are required for the safety of the outsourced employees doing hazardous jobs,” Patil said.——-Other key decisions-Approved Karnataka Minor Minerals (Amendment) Rules, 2025, to make sand, stones, gravel and clay affordable-Cleared revised protocol limiting dignitary invitees at govt events to nine, extendable to 13-Approved blending of biodiesel with high-speed diesel-Sanctioned Rs 218.2 crore for Labour Cess Tracing & Monitoring System to track welfare fund collection and use