Demand immediate Mekedatu foundation stone
Mysuru
Stepping up their opposition to the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, the Mysore District Kannada Activists Association staged a unique protest in front of the Cauvery Irrigation Development Corporation (CADA) office here on Thursday.
Led by association president B.A. Shivashankar, the protesters expressed strong resentment against the alleged repeated pressure exerted by Tamil Nadu before the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC), Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) and the Supreme Court for securing water from Karnataka, even during periods of water scarcity in the State.
As part of the protest, activists beat portraits of prominent Tamil Nadu political leaders with the broomsticks, including Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, AIADMK leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami and Congress leader Manickam Tagore, condemning the directions to Karnataka to release 12,000 cusecs of Cauvery water daily for 15 days.
Addressing the protesters, Shivashankar alleged that the CWRC and CWMA were functioning in favour of Tamil Nadu and demanded that such orders be withdrawn immediately. “This decision amounts to a death sentence for Kannadigas,” he said, stressing the need to protect Karnataka’s drinking-water requirements before releasing water to neighbouring States.
He urged the Union Government to implement the National Water Policy by prioritising the filling of canals, tributaries and lakes in the Cauvery and Kapila river basin to ensure adequate water for people, livestock and agriculture.
Shivashankar also demanded that Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar take an uncompromising stand on the Cauvery issue and immediately lay the foundation stone for the proposed Mekedatu project, envisaged with a capacity of 67 TMC and 400 MW power generation.
“The project is within Karnataka’s territory and has the backing of seven crore Kannadigas. The State government should not yield to pressure and must move ahead with Mekedatu,” he asserted.
The protesters said Karnataka’s interests should be safeguarded while taking decisions on Cauvery water sharing and called for a long-term solution to the recurring water dispute.
Representatives of several pro-Kannada organisations participated in the protest.
Another group of Kannada activists slept on the footpath to indicate that the state government was in the deep slumber and not taken any step to protect the interest of the people.
Another group of farmers also slept on the main road near the CADA near the MCC and raised slogans against the state government for its failure to explain the current situation before the authorities concerned. When the Karnataka farmers were waiting for the release of water to save the withering crops, the state government was releasing 12,000 cusecs of water daily to Tamil Nadu for the next 15 days. By doing that, the KRS and Kabini Dam would go empty and the people of Karnataka had to struggle even for a drop of water.
Later, the activists were taken into custody.
