The Raitha Hitarakshna Vedike has given a bandh call in Hukkeri on Wednesday in support of their long-pending demand for a lift irrigation project to provide water to the agricultural fields around the town.
Vedike president Ramachandra Joshi said they had launched a dharna outside the tahsildar’s office since Saturday. He said they were forced to give a bandh call owing to the lack of a positive response from the State government. Meanwhile, the former Minister Umesh V. Katti, MLA, said that he had asked officials of Karnataka Neeravari Nigam Ltd. to conduct a survey and inform the government on the need to take up the project at the earliest.
Mr. Joshi said around 8,000 acres of agricultural land around Hukkeri town was still unconnected to any irrigation project, although the Markandeya, Ghataprabha and Hiranyakeshi rivers flow within a 5-km radius. The farmers had been demanding that the government take up a lift irrigation project to provide irrigation facilities. Meanwhile, Chandrashakher Shivacharya Swami of Gurushanteshwar Mutt extended his support to the farmers’ demand. He appealed to the farmers to carry out their struggle in a peaceful manner. Tahsildar Saida Afreen Ballary visited the venue of the dharna and promised that he would convey their demand to the government.
