CM drought tour: 10,000 litre water wasted in Bagalkot

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has found himself in the midst of another controversy as now reports have found that during his drought-tour to Bilagi in Bagalkot district, the local administration emptied 10,000 litres of water on the road to ensure that the streets remained dust-free for CM.

According to local reports, two tankers with a capacity of 5,000 litres sprayed water on the road leading to Bilagi taluk, where the CM was supposed to garland the statue of saint Kanakadasa, a Kannada poet and social reformer from the 16th Century.

Siddaramaiah was scheduled to visit Badagandi village as part of his current state-wide tour of the areas reeling under drought.

I will ask the Deputy Commissioner to look into it, said Siddaramaiah when asked by reporters about the incident that occurred yesterday.

Local legislator J T Patil, however, maintained that there was no drinking water scarcity in Bilagi. The incident drew criticism from state BJP President and former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa.

He said when the state is facing drought-like situation and water shortage, "The people will mock the CM for doing something like this for his own purposes."