Bengaluru, Jul 28 (PTI) Sporadic protests broke out in Mysuru and Mandya districts, the heart of the Cauvery river basin region, on Tuesday following the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee’s (CWRC) direction to release water to Tamil Nadu.
According to the Karnataka Water Resource Minister Ramalinga Reddy, the CWRC has directed Karnataka to release 3,500 cusecs of water for 15 days to the neighbouring state.
Farmers and the pro-Kannada outfits came on the highway in Mandya and took out a march raising slogans saying that injustice has been meted out to the state.
They staged a sit-in demonstration blocking vehicular movement and rolled on the street to lodge their protest against the CWRC award.
Speaking to reporters, Kannada activist Vatal Nagaraj told reporters that releasing water to Tamil Nadu will amount to betrayal at a time when the state is reeling under acute drought.
“We will fight for every single drop of water. At a time when we are struggling to protect every drop, if the Karnataka government releases water without exercising proper judgment, there will be a massive statewide agitation,” Nagaraj said.
In a video message, Kannada activist Praveen Shetty, who leads a faction of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, too said that the state has received only 20 per cent of rain this year and all the dams are empty.
“I strongly condemn the KWRC’s order of releasing 3,500 cusecs of water daily to Tamil Nadu when there is no water for Bengaluru. The government should take a strong decision. Water should not be released to Tamil Nadu for any reason,” Shetty said.
Farmer leaders in Mysuru termed the CWRC’s order unscientific as it ignores the reality that more than 20 districts in Karnataka are reeling under drought.
He said the government should take a firm stand and stand by its people and not Tamil Nadu. PTI GMS GMS ADB
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