Mysuru (Karnataka) [India], September 1 : Karnataka Minister Yathindra Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the drinking water situation in Mysuru and Chamarajanagar districts of the State was being managed and that the government was taking necessary steps to address shortages amid the drought.
Speaking to reporters in Mysuru, Siddaramaiah said he had earlier held a meeting on the drinking water situation in the two districts and later conducted a drought assessment along with Revenue Minister G Parameshwara.
He said the administration had been directed to hire borewells wherever required and supply water through tankers in areas where borewells were not feasible.
"Wherever there is a drinking water problem, steps have been taken to hire borewells. If a borewell fails, existing borewells can be hired, and if that also does not work, water will be supplied through tankers," he said.
Siddaramaiah said there was no major drinking water crisis at present, adding that the issues reported so far had been addressed.
"As of now, there is no such big problem. There is a drinking water problem, but it has been handled. There is no situation which has not been handled as of now," he said.
On the availability of fodder, he said fodder kits were being provided to farmers. He added that farmers were growing fodder wherever water was available, following which the government was purchasing and distributing it.
Targeting the BJP over its padayatra, Siddaramaiah said the party had earlier demanded the resignation of Nagendra but was continuing the protest even after his resignation.
"Earlier, BJP people did the padayatra saying they wanted Nagendra's resignation. They did not even allow the Assembly session to run. Now, even after Nagendra has resigned, they are doing the padayatra, which means they are doing it only with political malafide intention," he said.
He added, "If they do padayatra, their health will improve; let them do it."
Meanwhile, BJP Karnataka president BY Vijayendra today visited the Sri Amareshwara Temple in Lingasugur and offered prayers ahead of the party's padyatra, asserting that its fight against the ruling Congress government would continue until it is "uprooted".
Speaking to the media after offering prayers at the temple in Gurugunta, Vijayendra said the BJP's 10-day padyatra may conclude on September 10, but its political campaign against the Congress government would continue.
"The fight against the corrupt, anti-people, anti-Dalit, and anti-development Congress government has begun. The padayatra may end on the 10th, but the fight against this government will continue," Vijayendra said.
He said the BJP would use the coming one-and-a-half to two years to highlight what it termed failures of the Congress government and expressed confidence that a BJP-led NDA government would return to power in Karnataka."We will uproot this government completely. Our fight will continue till then. In future, our BJP-led NDA government should come to power," he said.
Vijayendra said the padyatra would begin from Lingasugur and conclude in Ballari on September 10. He described it as a historic march and said BJP leaders and workers from across North Karnataka would participate.