Farmers decide to continue protest against track doubling project

Mandya Deputy Commissioner B.N. Krishnaiah and Mandya Superintendent of Police Bhushan Gulabrao Borase and other officials interacting with protesting the agitating farmers and Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha leaders in Maddur in Mandya on Tuesday.

Leaders of the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) and farmers, whose land was acquired for the Bangalore-Mysore railway track doubling project, have decided to continue their protest as the authorities concerned have failed to release the compensation.

The farmers have been staging a protest on the railway track near Shimsha Bridge in Maddur for the past 11 days.

Mandya Deputy Commissioner B.N. Krishnaiah and Superintendent of Police Bhushan Gulabrao Borase visited the protest venue on Tuesday.

Mr. Krishnaiah has requested the protesters to call off the agitation. But, the farmers refused saying they would continue until their demands were met.

Konasale Narasarju, district president of the KRRS, said the district administration acquired several acres of fertile land for the track doubling project several years back. But, compensation was not paid, he said.

Mr. Krishnaiah assured the farmers that the district administration would address the issue. A meeting with Railways, and other officials, has been fixed at the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Mandya on December 26, he said.

Leaders Ramakrishnaiah, Puttaramu, Manju and Sowbhagya Mahadevu led the protest.