Cabinet likely to discuss UKP-III phase today

The State Cabinet meeting, scheduled for Thursday, is likely to discuss the compensation to be provided for the acquisition of lands for the Upper Krishna Project (UKP) Phase III, which involves increasing the height of the Almatti Dam.

Compensation sum

Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who also holds the Water Resources portfolio, on Wednesday, chaired a meeting with Ministers and senior officials. He said that the previous BJP government led by Basavaraj Bommai had fixed a compensation of ₹24 lakh per acre for irrigated land and ₹20 lakh for dry land. However, farmers had not agreed on the amount.

The Cabinet will discuss the compensation, land acquisition, rehabilitation, and reconstruction issues on Thursday, Mr. Shivakumar said.

The court has given a ruling to provide more compensation. However, the Cabinet has decided against providing more compensation. A decision would be taken after consulting leaders of all parties, including farmers and MLAs, he said.

He said the Union Water Resources Minister had also been requested to convene a meeting to expedite the land acquisition process.

Cost of project

To complete the project, the government needs ₹2 lakh crore to acquire 1.33 lakh acres. Many land losers have taken legal recourse, seeking higher compensation.