Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], February 12 (ANI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Thursday said that an International conference on dam safety will be held in Bengaluru on February 13 and 14.

Addressing a press conference at Karnataka Bhawan, DK Shivakumar, who also holds the Irrigation portfolio, said, 'The international conference on dam safety is being held in Bengaluru at the same time as the Karnataka government is completing 1000 days.'

'The global conference will be held on February 13 and 14 at the JN Tata Auditorium in the Indian Institute of Science. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah would inaugurate the conference on February 13. There are 6,628 dams in India, and Karnataka has 231 dams. Dam safety has been a topic of discussion everywhere. Jaipur had organised this conference one and a half years ago. The conference is jointly organised by the Ministry of Jal Shakthi and the Department of Water Resources of the Government of Karnataka,' he informed.

'As many as 46 research papers will be presented on dam safety in the conference. Union Ministers V. Somanna and Raj Bhushan Choudhary, along with Karnataka Minister NS Boseraju, will attend the conference. About 400 experts, including 25 international experts from 10 countries, will participate. We are organising this event in Karnataka, keeping in mind long-term plans of the state,' he added.

'As many as 75% of dams in Karnataka are more than 25 years old. We face some challenges every year; we don't want to compromise on dam safety. Rs 10,211 has been spent on 733 dams in 19 states of the country. The states are implementing the second stage of the Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP) scheme with external assistance from the Union government, World Bank and AIIB,' he said.

'In Karnataka, we are spending Rs 1,500 crores for the safety of 58 dams. We have already started the replacement of crest gates in the Tungabhadra dam. We are doing a safety audit of our dams in the state, and we are taking up repairs based on that,' he added.

When asked about MP PC Mohan's statement that the Centre has rejected Karnataka's proposal for double-decker flyovers, he said, 'I don't know about this. The Prime Minister himself has seen the double-decker flyover in Bengaluru. The Karnataka government bears 50 per cent cost of the double-decker project, while the rest is borne by BMRCL. We are doing this as it is difficult to widen the roads. The Centre has said that double-decker flyover projects must continue; accordingly, we are proceeding. The Centre may have asked for a review of technical aspects.'

'The passengers who travel by metro are different from the road users. If there are any issues, I will discuss it with the Union Minister,' he added. (ANI)