Protests over Cauvery issue spreads in Karnataka

Bengaluru: Protests continued in various parts of Karnataka on Friday, after the Supreme Court on Thursday refused to interfere with orders of the Cauvery Water Management Authority and the Regulation Committee, directing the state to release 5,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu.

Farmer organisations and pro-Kannada outfits staged protests in the Cauvery river basin districts of Mysuru, Mandya, Chamarajanagara, Ramanagara, Bengaluru and other parts of the state expressing their anger and urging the state government not to release water to the neighbouring state.

Karnataka has been maintaining that it is not in a position to release water, after taking into account its own need for drinking water and irrigation for standing crops in the Cauvery basin areas, as there has been water scarcity due to deficit monsoon rains.

Protests have also spread to districts like Chitradurga, Ballari, Davangere, Koppal and Vijayapura.

Farmers under the aegis of the Raitha Hitarakshana Samiti continued to protest near the statue of Sir M Visvesvaraya in Mandya. They were today joined by Nirmalanandanatha Swamiji, the head of Adichunchanagiri Math, a prominent religious seminary in the old Mysuru region, which is also the Cauvery belt.

Addressing the protesting farmers, the seer said that the state and central government should present the facts before the Supreme Court and protect the interest of the farmers and people of the state.

He said the math will speak to the state government and central ministers on behalf of the farmers. "There is a need for a distress formula (for water sharing) at the earliest." Karnataka Rakshana Vedike activists led by Praveen Shetty staged a protest in Bengaluru's K R Puram by blocking the highway. He and scores of activists were detained and taken away by the police.

Sloganeering -- demanding justice, blocking roads, burning of tyres and effigies marked the protests in various parts of the state.

Some Kannada organisations laid siege to Tore Kadanahalli (TK Halli) pumping station in Mandya which supplies water to Bengaluru city, urging officials to stop supplying water to the capital city for lack of support from there to the Cauvery protest. Police teams have been deployed at the spot.

Karnataka BJP leaders met under the leadership of former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai in Bengaluru to discuss the line of action the party should follow. Party presidents and leaders from Cauvery basin districts were present at the meet.

Stating that it is clear that the government has failed in the Cauvery issue and its consequences are being seen, Bommai said, "I have seen the (court) proceedings and our lawyers have not argued effectively".

References have not been made by lawyers regarding tribunal orders, importance of Bengaluru's water requirements, forthcoming monsoon rains in Tamil Nadu, and utilisation of water so far by the neighbouring state, he said, adding that this is causing disadvantage to Karnataka repeatedly.

Repeatedly highlighting this to the government has not been of any use, and enlightening the public is the only way now, Bommai said.

"We are discussing it in the BJP. One round of discussion has happened in Mandya, Mysuru, Ramanagara, Chamrajanagara and Hassan. We will protest there and also in Bengaluru. At the meeting we will discuss and decide the plan of action."

The CWMA on Monday asked Karnataka to continue releasing 5,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu for another 15 days after the CWRC last week made such a recommendation.