Govt may make rain-water harvesting mandatory in Bengaluru

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Bengaluru: Karnataka government may make rain water harvesting mandatory in the city, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah indicated on Tuesday.
"Let's try to make it mandatory," he said in reply to a question from K S Puttannaiah (Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha), who pointed that Coimbatore city in Tamil Nadu has done a good job in rain water harvesting, adding, Bengaluru's water requirements would soar in the coming years.
To decongest Bengaluru and check rapid migration of people, the Chief Minister agreed with the Speaker Kagodu Thimmappa that towns around the city such as Tumkur, Hoskote, Chikkaballapura and Ramanager needed to be developed.
Government would come out with a perspective plan for Bangalore, Siddaramaiah added. The Chief Minister, meanwhile, said work on the 65 km peripheral ring road project from Tumkur Road to Hosur Road with a width of 75 metres would be taken up very soon.
Japan International Cooperation Agency has agreed to provide financial assistance to the Rs 4,300 crore project, which includes land acquisition and construction costs besides intelligent transport system.
Responding to a question from S R Vishwanath (BJP), Siddarmaiah said farmers, from whom 1,810 acres had been acquired for the project, would be given an option of either financial compensation or sites.
Initially, the road width was planned to be 100 metres but it has been scaled down with proposal to have sites in the "cut-out" 25 metres stretch, he noted.
The Chief Minister also said that Justice (Retd) B Padmaraj inquiry committee which looked into the allotment of sites under 'G' category by Bangalore Development Authority as per a judgement of the Karnataka High Court would submit its report on August 26.
Siddaramaiah, replying to M P Appachuranjan (BJP) who wanted to know the steps taken by the government to allot sites to legislators who have not got them, said the Government has stopped allotment following the court order.
The High Court in its August 25, 2012 judgement, observed that the allotment of sites made under 'G' category by the BDA is illegal and without the Authority of law. He said based on the recommendations of the committee, the government would take further action on the issue.