Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, after performing the traditional ‘baagina’ offering to the Kabini River on Sunday, announced a Rs 32.25 crore initiative to restore and modernize the 51-year-old Kabini dam, which irrigates over 1.13 lakh acres of farmland. Speaking in Mysuru, he outlined plans for a new garden akin to Brindavan Gardens and modernization of the Taraka Reservoir canal in H D Kote taluk.

Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, present at the event, emphasized dam safety, noting that repairs across Karnataka’s reservoirs will follow recommendations from a technical committee formed after damage to the Tungabhadra Reservoir.

He highlighted the Kabini dam’s full capacity this year, a first in two years, and announced Rs 35 crore in regional development projects, plus an Rs 88-crore drip irrigation proposal. Plans for a ‘Kabini utsava’ and ‘Cauvery aarti’ aim to boost tourism and employment, though a proposed botanical garden awaits investor support.

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