The Hindu : High drama at KRS Dam

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Sep 10, 2002

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National

High drama at KRS Dam

By Our Staff Correspondent

Mysore Sept. 9. Thousands of farmers in Mandya district of Karnataka swarmed the Krishnaraja Sagar Dam and laid a siege to it this morning, asserting that they had the right to use the Cauvery waters for irrigation. They smashed the police cordon and gatecrashed into the main entrance of the dam. Rapid Action Force and KSRP personnel decided not to aggravate the situation by confronting them.

High drama prevailed near the dam site when a section of the farmers jumped the police barricade and barged through the side-gate near the ticket counter and reached the main entrance. Police retracted from there and took position behind the gate, but the farmers outnumbered them.

Heeding the call of the Mandya Jilla Raitha Hitarakshana Samiti led by the former MP, G. Made Gowda, the farmers began arriving early in the day. Their numbers swelled as there was a continuous stream of lorries and buses transporting people from Mandya, Malavalli, Maddur and other parts of the district. But there was no violence despite the mounting tension as their leaders had appealed for a peaceful and non-violent protest.

Later in the day, the farmer leaders passed a resolution rejecting the Cauvery River Authority directives to release 9,000 cusecs of water daily to Tamil Nadu. The Karnataka Government also came under fire for its "inability to protect the interest of the State's farmers''. A resolution was passed seeking a White Paper on the statistics and information submitted to the Supreme Court, which, a few days ago, ordered the release of 1.25 tmcft (thousand million cubic feet) of Cauvery water a day to Tamil Nadu.

The farmers also passed a resolution urging the State Government to reject the CRA directive to release 9,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu. If the Government complied with the orders, they would forcibly assert their rights and ensure that "not a drop of water flowed into Tamil Nadu''. Another resolution was passed urging the Centre to expedite the project to link the Ganga and the Cauvery. This was a viable and permanent solution to the dispute between the two States. The samiti urged the Tamil Nadu Government to tap its own resources instead of "frequently needling Karnataka'' to release water.

Leaders, including the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sanga (KRRS) president, K.S. Puttanaiah, who addressed the gathering, said that Tamil Nadu should be encouraged to build mini barrages and store the excess water instead of allowing it to drain into the sea.

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