Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar will inaugurate the Cauvery IV Stage Phase II project today, October 31, at the Ground Level Reservoir in Jambusavari Dinne, J. P. Nagar 8th Phase.

The Rs 1,759-crore project, funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), aims to meet the increasing demand for water, particularly in Bangalore's newly added areas.

Apart from one town municipal council Kengeri, seven erstwhile city municipal councils, viz. Yelahanka, Rajajeshwarinagar, Dasarahalli, Byatarayanapura, Bommanahalli, Mahadevpura and K. R. Puram, will be connected through the new project.

In Bangalore's Yelahanka, Mahadevapura, Byatarayanapura and Electronics City areas, nearly 14,000 houses will get Cauvery water starting Wednesday.

S. Suresh Kumar, minister for Bangalore Water Supply & Sewerage Board, said, "The additional 500 million litres of water per day (mld) will ease the pressure on the existing supply lines."

However, the project has not received a warm response from residents so far. Bangalore Water Supply & Sewerage Board had sold 88,965 applications, of which merely 23,023 have been submitted. So far, the board has sanctioned just 13,667 connections.

Gaurav Gupta, chairperson of Bangalore Water Supply & Sewerage Board, attributing the poor response to people's "wait & watch" policy.