Urging the State government to provide Cauvery water from the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) till the end of ongoing kharif season, Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (Nanjundaswamy faction) observed the Independence Day as ‘Black Day’ here on Monday.
They also staged a demonstration, wearing black ribbons, near the KRSTC bus stand on the Bengaluru-Mysuru highway and raised slogans against the government for “not understanding the plight” of KRS dependent farmers.
The irrigation department has been releasing Cauvery waters to canals from July 28 as decided at the Irrigation Consultative Committee (ICC) meeting of the KRS, held in Bengaluru.
The farmers were told that they would receive water for the next six months on an “on-and- off” basis. This system would affect the livelihood of farmers in several hundreds of villages, the protestors said.
The water should be discharged into all major waterways till the end of the kharif season, they demanded.
They also urged the government to fill lakes across Mandya district with Cauvery, Shimsha and Hemavathi rivers through canals; stop releasing water to Tamil Nadu, restart the Mysugar mill, withdraw cases against those who participated in Mahadayi agitations and to establish copra procurement centres in all taluks.
Energy and district in-charge minister D.K. Shivakumar visited the spot, received a memorandum and assured of considering their demands.
