The Hindu : Farmers picket KBJNL office at Zalki

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jan 08, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka

Farmers picket KBJNL office at Zalki

By Our Staff Correspondent

ZALKI (BIJAPUR DT.) JAN. 7 . Farmers from the Bheema Basin picketed the office of the Executive Engineer of the Krishna Bhagya Jala Nigam Limited (KBJNL) here on Tuesday in protest against the release of the Krishna waters to Maharashtra through Indi Branch Canal (IBC).

Criticising the State Government for releasing water to Maharashtra through the IBC at Havinal village, they sought immediate resumption of water supply to all the distributaries.

After picketing for three hours, they began indefinite "dharna" in front of the office. The protest would continue till the State Government conceded their demands, they said.

The protestors urged the Government to provide drinking water to 163 river-belt villages as per the May 6 interim order of the Supreme Court. Apart from providing water to standing crops in the command area of IBC, all the four barrages across the Bheema should be filled up with the Krishna waters. Steps should be taken to construct temporary barrages across the Bheema to provide water to all the river-belt villages. The State Government should prevail upon the Maharashtra Government to drop the case booked against the farmers of the State during the Bheema agitation last year, they said. Responding to the strike call given by the Bheema Nadi Neeru Rakshana Raithavarga Samiti, people gathered in front of the Bheeralingeshwara Temple here around noon. Later, the protestors, led by the samiti chief, Panchappa Kalburgi, took out a protest march to the office of the KBJNL.

Mr. Kalburgi said the release of water to Maharashtra would prove detrimental to State's interests in the long run.

He said the latest action of the State Government was against its proclaimed stand before the Supreme Court. In the apex court, the Government stated that holding of large quantum of water in Ujani Dam was the genesis of problem. However, it contradicted its stand by providing water to Maharashtra, he said.

Mallikarjuna Yandigeri, member of the samiti, said it was shameful that the Government, which refused to provide water to its farmers, agreed to release water to Maharashtra though the latter did not come to the rescue of the people of the State.

The former MLA, Govinda Karjola, charged that the Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, released water to Maharashtra yielding to pressure by the AICC President, Sonia Gandhi.

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