To constitute a Distribution Watchdog Committee to ensure the tail-end farmers in the Tungabhadra Left Bank Canal (TLBC) received their quota of water to save crops, a meeting will be held by the Deputy Commissioner of Raichur on January 2, according to the state working president of the Janasangram Parishat, Raghavendra Kushtagi.
Addressing a press conference in Raichur on Sunday, Mr, Kushtagi said all the elected representatives and farmers representatives have also been invited for the meeting to find a permanent solution to the problems faced by these farmers.
Mr. Kushtagi said that the elected representatives should play a pro-active role and any neglect of the issues concerning the farmers would not be tolerated anymore and “if any elected representative was found to be indifferent to the problems of farmers they would be taught a fitting lesson”.
Apart from this, Mr. Kustagi said another meeting chaired by the former chairman of the HKADB, N.S. Bosaraju, MLC has been convened at APMC auditorium on January 4 to help these farmers. The elected representatives and farmers representatives have also been invited to the meet.
Mr. Kushtagi stressed the need for all political parties to join hands keeping aside their political aspirations and policies and jointly fight for the just cause of the tail-end farmers of the TLBC. State Vice-President of the JD(S), Mahantesh Patil Athnur who was also present said that in the last two years the tail-end farmers were facing severe shortage of water and an estimated 1.74 lakh acres of land in the tail-end region of the TLBC was not getting enough water to save the standing crops. He also demanded the Water Resources Department officials to ensure release of water in the canal upto March 31 to save the standing crops.
He said that the Water Resource Department officials should ensure release of 3,200 cusecs of water in the canal and see then the water levels in the tail-end of the TLBC was at 6 feet height to enable all the farmers in the tail-end got their share of water. Dr. V.A. Malipatil and others were present.
