Bengaluru, Dec. 10 -- Deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar on Tuesday told the assembly that delays in Central approval were holding up several major irrigation projects and canal networks planned across districts.

The Krishna Upper River Project Phase 3 had seen no notification from New Delhi since 2013, said Shivakumar, leaving the state unable to move ahead despite repeated attempts to secure clearances. He said the process was influenced by disputes among neighbouring states, noting that Maharashtra had obstructed Andhra Pradesh "for the second time."

The Upper Krishna Project Phase 3 is the state's long- pending irrigation expansion plan that seeks to increase the storage capacity of the Almatti reservoir and bring additional farmla...