Udupi : Urban Development Minister Vinay Kumar Sorake, said that the State government had given in-principle approval to a Rs. 347- crore project to construct vented dams in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts.

He was speaking after inaugurating various developmental works and distributing facilities to beneficiaries at Hejmady in Udupi district.

Mr. Sorake said the project to construct vented dams had been submitted to the Karnataka Neeravari Nigama. This project would help in improving the underwater table, and would solve both drinking water and irrigation needs.

Around 13 rivers were flowing through Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts, but they were not being utilised to their full potential. The water from Kumaradhara River would be provided for the Yettinahole project, he said.

Efforts would be made to have a separate office of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) in the coastal region to deal with problems related to CRZ in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts. The States of Kerala and Goa enjoyed certain relaxations in the norms of CRZ.

The State government had sent a proposal to the Union government to extend these relaxations to Karnataka also. This would also help in tourism development. A committee of the Union government had already collected opinions on this issue. Already 500 beneficiaries had been provided with sites in the district. By the end of this year, another 1,000 beneficiaries would be provided with sites.

A project to construct a fisheries harbour at Hejmady village in Udupi district, at an estimated cost of Rs. 122 crore, had been sent to the Union government for its approval. A project had been prepared to construct a modern playground at Hejmady at an estimated cost of Rs. 1.3 crore.

Ration cards of nearly 4,000 beneficiaries in Kaup Assembly constituency were yet to be linked with their Aadhaar cards. The lists of such persons had been sent to the gram panchayats to solve any problems in either of the cards by October 7.

Pension Adalats and Revenue Adalats were being held in different parts of the district to solve the problems of pensioners and those having problems with regard to title deeds. A district-level Pension and Revenue Adalat would be held at Thekkatte soon, Mr. Sorake said.