Tunnelling work leads to agri land in Chikkamagaluru caving in.

Farmers of Attimagge near Tarikere were shocked to see a portion of an agriculture land, right above the tunnel drilled as part of Upper-Bhadra project work, caved in. The incident came to light recently, when Rajappa, a farmer, noticed a depression in his farm and informed the officers.

The irrigation project, intended to provide Bhadra water for dry areas of Chitradurga district, involves a 7.5 km long tunnel connecting Narasipur to Ajjampura in Tarikere taluk. The tunnel passes 180 feet below the ground level. The underground tunnel is said to be the reason for this cave in. Former MLA of Tarikere Suresh Babu, who visited the spot on Sunday, blamed substandard tunnel work for the damage. The people also noticed cracks in the surrounding area.

Following this, senior officers of Karnataka Neeravari Nigam Limited and officers of taluk administration visited the spot. The caved in portion of the land has been cordoned off. The officers maintain that the incident was not due to substandard work. R.Cheluvaraju, Chief Engineer, KNNL,on Monday, told The Hindu, “Such incidents happen because of geological reasons. It must have happened because of loose soil-band. We call it an underground surprise.”

Corrective measures would be taken up and the farmer would be given compensation after detailed analysis of the incident, he added.

THE HINDU