Dr. G. Parameshwara chairs progress review meeting after inspecting drought-hit villages

Mysuru: Deputy Chief Minister and Revenue Minister Dr. G. Parameshwara has directed officials to give top priority to ensuring drinking water for people and livestock, while exercising utmost caution in the use of water stored in reservoirs.

He was chairing a progress review meeting on drought management at Mysuru Zilla Panchayat auditorium yesterday evening, where he reviewed the measures being taken to tackle the prevailing situation.

The Minister, who is on a two-day tour of Mysuru and Chamarajanagar districts to assess the drought situation, inspected several villages in K.R. Nagar, Hunsur and Varuna Assembly Constitutencies of Mysuru district on Tuesday morning and heard the grievances of the farmers.

Dr. Parameshwara cautioned that during water scarcity, people tend to store water for longer periods, increasing the risk of diseases such as dengue and chikungunya. He also pointed out that cases of illness caused by consumption of contaminated water generally increase during drought years and directed officials to maintain strict vigilance.

He noted that the State Government had sanctioned Rs. 5 crore to Mysuru district for drinking water works, but officials had failed to provide clear details on the amount spent and the works executed.

Fund utilisation, discrepancies

Stressing that drinking water must be the priority, he said each taluk had been allocated Rs. 8 crore and sought details on how the funds were being utilised.

Parameshwara questioned why emergency funds released for drought management had not been spent. “If the money is lying unused, does that mean there is no emergency in your district?” he asked. He reminded officials that the Government had released Rs. 8 crore to the district in July and insisted that precise details be provided without mixing up the figures.

He criticised the data presented at the meeting as inadequate and lacking statistical clarity, and warned officials against submitting incomplete or misleading records.

When ZP CEO Ukesh Kumar explained that works had been undertaken but payments were pending, making the expenditure figures appear incomplete, Parameshwara reacted strongly. He pointed out that this explanation was not reflected in the official data submitted to him.

“What you are saying now does not appear in the records you have provided,” he remarked, questioning the lack of clarity and consistency in the statistics.

District Minister Dr. Yathindra Siddaramaiah, former Minister and Periyapatna MLA K. Venkatesh, MLAs Darshan Dhruvanarayan and G.D. Harish Gowda, MLC Dr. D. Thimmaiah, Mysuru Regional Commissioner Nitesh Patil, Deputy Commissioner G. Lakshmikanth Reddy and City Police Commissioner Seema Latkar, along with several departmental officers, were present.