“Water in the catchment and command areas of the reservoirs, built for irrigation as well as power generation purposes, recede a couple of months after the rain. Earlier, farmers would encroach upon the land & start farming without authorisation. In view of this, Karnataka govt was keen on allowing farmers to grow crops. The land would be leased to farmers, including those who had lost their land for construction of reservoirs, & they would be empowered to transfer the lease to another person. The ownership of the land, however, would remain with the department.”