Energy Minister K.J. George has instructed officers of Chikkamagaluru district to take all measures to ensure people do not face difficulty in getting drinking water in the coming days. Mr. George, who is also Minister in-charge of Chikkamagaluru district, held a meeting with officers at Koppa on Tuesday.
The Minister told the officers to assess the impact of the drought at the gram panchayat level and take up relief work immediately. “Fodder for cattle is available for the next 21 to 23 weeks. The officers should take measures to distribute fodder kits to farmers. Besides that, fodder should be cultivated so that the excess could be supplied to neighbouring districts that require fodder,” he said. He instructed the officers to have solar panels installed to operate borewells drilled to supply drinking water, instead of getting electricity connection.
Meena Nagaraj, Deputy Commissioner, said that at present, there was no shortage of fodder or drinking water in the district. The administration had identified borewells to supply water through tankers, if required.
Sringeri MLA T.D. Raje Gowda, Zilla Panchayat CEO Gopalakrishna, SP Vikram Amathe and other officers were present at the meeting.
