CH NEWS, BIDAR
Farmers and various organisations staged a road blockade at Basaveshwar Circle in Naubad, demanding immediate action to address the pressing problems faced by farmers in the district.
The protest was organised under the leadership of various farmers’ organisations and the Karanja Project Displaced Persons Welfare Committee. Protesters blocked the Bidar–Kalaburagi and Bidar–Bhalki roads from morning until afternoon and raised slogans against the government. The blockade disrupted vehicular movement, with some vehicles being diverted through alternative routes. Traffic was restored after the protest ended.
Speaking during the protest, Farmers’ Association district President Shrimant Biradar said farmers were facing several challenges every year, including excessive and deficient rainfall and the lack of remunerative prices for agricultural produce. He said crops sown this year were drying up due to inadequate monsoon rainfall, leaving farmers in distress.
In a memorandum submitted to the Chief Minister through the Deputy Commissioner, the protesters demanded that Bidar district be declared drought-hit, considering the prevailing situation caused by the rainfall deficit.They also demanded complete farm loan waiver and compensation of ₹50,000 per acre for affected farmers.
The protesters demanded that the BSSK sugar factory should not be sold and that an alternative arrangement be made to revive the factory during the 2026-27 financial year.They also sought immediate payment of pending wages to workers and all other statutory dues. Other demands included providing scientifically assessed compensation to Karanja project-affected families and ensuring water supply through the canals of lift irrigation projects to support agricultural activities. The protesters also urged the authorities to ensure that sugar factories in the district, except MGSSK, clear outstanding payments due to farmers at the earliest.
District Honorary President Sidramappa Anadure, district General Secretary Dayananda Swamy Sirsi and several farmers participated in the protest.
