Farmers’ outfits staged road blockades in Nanjangud and T. Narsipur in Mysuru district on Wednesday, September 20, to protest against the release of water to Tamil Nadu and demand the removal of Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar as the Minister for Water Resources.
While farmers took out a procession and formed a human chain in T. Narsipur under the leadership of Karnataka State Sugarcane Farmers Association president Kurubur Shanthakumar, who also heads the Kabini Cauvery Struggle Committee, the activists of Federation of Karnataka State Farmers’ Associations in Nanjangud taluk gathered on National Highway leading to Ooty to voice their protest.
The farmers’ protest led to a road blockade at both the places for some time on Wednesday.
Condemning the State government’s failure to protect the farmers’ interests in the Cauvery dispute by shouting slogans, the protesting farmers in T. Narsipur not only urged the State government to immediately stop releasing water to Tamil Nadu, but also demanded the removal of Mr. Shivakumar as the Minister for Water Resources.
Addressing the gathering, Mr. Shanthakumar alleged that the State government, which had allowed water to flow to Tamil Nadu instead of releasing the same for the paddy crop in Karnataka, should pay a compensation of ₹25,000 for every acre.
Mr. Shanthakumar emphasised the need for Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) to function independently and comprise experts from Cauvery Command area of all States.
Meanwhile, the protestors, who gathered on the National Highway in Nanjangud, shouted slogans against Mr. Shivakumar for allegedly sacrificing the interests of farmers of Karnataka.
The General Secretary of Mysuru district unit of Federation of Karnataka Farmers’ Associations Baradanapura Nagaraj questioned the absence of enthusiasm in Mr. Shivakumar for construction of Mekedatu reservoir after the Congress came to power.
He sought to remind Mr. Shivakumar of the padayatra he undertook for construction of Mekedatu reservoir before the elections and sought to know why no steps had been taken in the regard after the party formed the government in the State.
He said the State government, which failed to release water for crops in Karnataka, should at least save the water remaining in the reservoirs for drinking water requirement of humans and cattle.
Meanwhile, activists of Karnataka Sugarcane Growers’ Association staged a protest even in Chamarajanagar to voice their protest against the release of water to Tamil Nadu.
