BELAGAVI: The Karnataka Congress has announced a ten-day padayatra to demand that the Mekedatu project be implemented in the state. The yatra will begin on January 9 in Mekedatu and conclude on January 19 in Bengaluru.

In a joint press conference on Tuesday, Congress State President D.K. Shivakumar and Opposition Leader Siddaramaiah made the announcement. "The padayatra will be historic. It would start on January 9 at 9.30 a.m. and travel 80 kilometres to Bengaluru in five days. Later, the Padayatra will travel through different assembly constituencies in Bengaluru. I invite people from all walks of life to take part in the historic padayatra "He insisted.

"The project is being carried out on our land, with our money, and with our water. However, two states will benefit. There should be no objections. The project's costs could be recouped through the generation of 440 megawatts of electricity "He stated this.

Siddaramaiah said, the Mekedatu project began in 1968, when Congress was in power in the state. The project couldn't get off the ground because the case was still in court. "A DPR was prepared when I became Chief Minister in 2013. The project's estimated cost is Rs 5,912 crore. The blueprint for the project was also prepared in 2018, when Shivakumar was the Irrigation Minister, and the proposed expenditure for the project became Rs 9,500 crore "He added.

Karnataka govt to recruit transgenders for Police post

Know how Karnataka govt will crack down on illegal conversions

Will not permit conversion of helpless: Karnataka CM Bommai