Farmers block highway, demand release of water into canals

CNNL blamed for stopping water release from KRS

Up in arms: KRRS members staging a protest by blocking the Bangalore-Mysore highway, in Mandya on Thursday.

Movement of traffic on the Bangalore-Mysore highway was disrupted for nearly an hour on Thursday as members of the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) organised roadblocks at major junctions, demanding that Cauvery Neeravari Nigam Ltd. discharge water into Krishnaraja Sagar-dependent canals.

The CNNL has stopped releasing water into canals as water-level in the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS), near Srirangapatna, in the district has gone down. Owing to this, crops have been affected.

Scores of farmers blocked the highway at Srirangapatna, Induvalu, Mandya, Gejjalagere and Maddur. They squatted on the highway, waved green scarves and raised slogans against the CNNL and the State government.

According to KRRS leader Shambhuna Halli Suresh, the protest was staged to draw the attention of CNNL to farmers’ problems and was not meant to inconvenience the public. However, the protest resulted in vehicles piling up on either side of the highway between Srirangapatna and Maddur.

Normal movement of traffic was restored after the KRRS withdrew its protest.

A large number of police personnel were stationed at the protest venues.