Members of the State BJP Yuva Morcha will embark on a three-day ‘padayatra’ from Chikballapur to Bengaluru from Saturday seeking permanent irrigation facilities to three drought-prone districts – Kolar, Chikballapur, and Bengaluru rural.
Over 2,000 activists of the Morcha would participate in the padayatra , which would be flagged off from Shidlaghatta Circle in Chikballapur by State BJP President, Prahlad Joshi at 10.30 a.m. Activists would visit Muddenahalli, the birth place of Bharata Ratna awardee, Sir M.Visvesvaraya in Chikballapur and launch the padayatra after paying tributes to the late engineer.
The 57 km padayatra would reach Bengaluru on Monday evening.
Addressing presspersons here on Friday, State BJP Yuva Morcha President P. Muniraju Gowda said “our major objective is to put pressure on the Government to implement a project to ensure at least 100 TMCft water to 15 drought-hit taluks of three districts”.
The Yettinahole project would ensure only 22 TMCft water to three districts, which he termed “insufficient” to cater to the needs of farmers. Three districts have been producing vegetables and fruits and supplying to Bengaluru. However, owing to scanty rainfall, farmers have not been able to cultivate their lands. Businessmen from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh have been purchasing lands from farmers in Kolar and Chikballapur districts, Mr. Gowda claimed.
After completion of the padayatra , the Morcha would submit a memorandum to Governor Vajubhai Rudabhai Wala, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, and Water Resources Minister M.B. Patil urging the Government to implement the project to ensure 100 TMCft of water to three districts.
BJP General Secretary in charge of Karnataka, Muralidhara Rao, Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, D.V. Sadananda Gowda and State BJP leaders would participate in the padayatra .
