Farmers staged a demonstration in front of the Cauvery Neeravari Nigama Ltd. (CNNL) office here on Friday demanding immediate release of water from the Kabini reservoir to the canals.
Led by the Federation of Farmers’ Organisations, the farmers raised slogans against the authorities and criticised the delay in releasing water to the canals to help replenish waterbodies in the tail-end region and the entire command area.
Kurubur Shanthakumar, who led the demonstration, said it was almost two weeks since the Kabini reservoir at Beechanahalli in H.D. Kote had attained full level.
“Though water was being discharged to Tamil Nadu, the authorities were yet to release water through the sluice gates to feed the canals so that it could help recharge the lakes,” he added.
He said that farmers in the Kabini command area have suffered drought for two consecutive years and are yet come out of the financial doldrums.
Even last year, the government took a decision against the release of water to the canals as a result of which farmers had to forego their crops which accentuated their financial distress, said Mr. Shanthakumar.
The farmers’ federation expressed surprise that CNNL, which is also responsible for regulating water discharge from the KRS, had released water to feed the waterbodies though the dam was not yet full. But it had adopted a different stance with regard to the Kabini though the reservoir was full, he added.
The farmers subsequently went to the Deputy Commissioner’s office and submitted a memorandum in support of their demand.
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