HUBBALLI:On Sunday, along with the agitators, a large number of fans of actors and actresses took part in the march and rally organised here by the Kannada film industry to express solidarity with the agitating farmers for the Kalasa-Banduri canal project. Many of those present were waiting for hours just to get a glimpse of their favourite stars and were not in sync with the cause. Mushatq Ali of Old Hubballi, who was standing outside the Moorusavir Mutt, said, “I have come here with my family to see the stars. I don’t know what the Kalasa-Banduri project is.” Suresh Raichur, another resident said, “I love Ravichandran, I am a die-hard fan of his. I really do not know what the Kalasa-Banduri project is about.”
People climbed onto traffic poles and stood on high-rises to gaze at the stars. And when the stars arrived at the Moorusavir Mutt, they were overjoyed. The crowd clapped, whistled and waved hands and of course, most were busy clicking photos on their phones.
People started trickling in near the Moorusavir Mutt and Rani Chennamma Circle since morning. Youngsters were seen getting good spots to sit and some, who managed to enter the mutt premises, were seen taking selfies with film producers and lyricists. Not a single person, including the stars raised slogans, demanding the early implementation of Kalasa-Banduri project.
Few Farmers at Rally
Though only a few farmer leaders or farmers took part in the rally, at the end of the event, farmer leader Rajanna Koravi expressed gratitude to the film fraternity for extending their support to agitating farmers. He said that reciprocation of the film stars to the call of farmers had given a much-needed boost to the agitation.
Meanwhile, the people of Navalgund staged a protest condemning the film stars decision to skip a visit to Navalgund to meet the agitating farmers. They blocked the Hubballi-Solapur National Highway and raised slogans against the stars. They vented their ire by setting tyres ablaze.
Pakshateeta Raita Horata Samiti leader said that the real agitation was going on at Naragund and Navalgund. “Instead of visiting these places, actors and actresses are visiting Hubballi as a publicity gimmick. Such attitude of the film starts was highly condemnable,” he added.
DySP Gets Rough
DySP S M Olekar, who was on the stage preventing the people from getting onto the podium, indulged in a verbal altercation with HDMC member and farmers’ leader Rajanna Koravi. The police officer tried to push him and twisted his arm. Police Commissioner Rane had to intervene and pacify both.
Star-crazy Public Cheer Some, Boo The Others
When Yash stood to address the rally, the crowd greeted him with a strong ‘Yeah...’ He spoke in a sensible manner and each word of his got cheered by his fans. Seemed like his recent super-hit movie Mr and Mrs Ramachari was fresh in the minds of the public. As Rangayan Raghu and Sadhu Kokila got up to speak, the public was expecting some kind of humour in their speeches.
However, understanding the seriousness of the issue, they stuck to the drinking water problem and ways of resolving it. The public was greatly disappointed with this as even at such a rally, they wanted the actors to stick to their stereotype. The public also booed when some senior actors and film association members started to address the rally, as they were eager to listen the star. When Upendra started his speech with his own style of dialogue delivery, the entire crowd at Chennamma Circle was on its feet and they applauded and whistled. They wanted to hear more from him, but the star ended his speech within a minute. Darshan, who spoke only two lines, also received the same kind of adulation from the public.
A high decibel of cheer was heard when Shivarajkumar and Puneeth Rajkumar took the stage. The fans called out Punith by his name and chanted ‘Shivanna.. Shivanna..’ He requested them to keep clam as they had come here for a serious cause. But the fans cheered all along his speech. Because the organisers were expecting such a response from the public, Shivanna was slotted to speak only at the end.
Flashback
Yesteryear actors B Saroja Devi, Bharati Vishnuvardhan, Srinivasmurthy, Pramila Joshai and other seniors were nostalgic about their association with the Gokak movement demanding primacy for Kannada, launched from Dharwad in the early 1980’s. The film industry will be always there to fight in the interest of land, language and people, they said.
History and Genesis of Kalasa-Banduri dispute
Mahadayi river originates at Bhimgad in the Western Ghats in Belgaum district, flowing for 28 km in Karnataka and meandering through Maharashtra and Goa before reaching the Arabian Sea.
Karnataka had planned to utilise 7.56 tmcft of water from Kalasa and Banduri tributaries of Mahadayi to meet drinking water needs in Belagavi, Gadag and Dharwad districts. Karnataka proposes to divert the water to Malaprabha by implementing the Kalasa-Banduri canal project.
The Kalasa canal is 4.80 km long and Bandura canal is 5.80 km long.
Farmers in Navalgund town of Gadag district launched an agitation in 1980 against the government for forcibly collecting betterment levy without providing water.
The agitation turned violent on June 21, 1980, and four people, including two policemen, died in violence and subsequent police firing.
In 1980, Chief minister R Gundu Rao appointed a committee headed by S R Bommai to look into ways to tackle water shortage in Malaprabha for providing water for irrigation in Navalgund an Naragund taluks.
Bommai committee mooted the idea of linking Mahadayi and Malaprabha rivers.
In 1989, CM S R Bommai reached an understanding with his Goa counterpart Pratap Singh Rane to share Mahadayi water, but could not implement it as his government collapsed.
Subsequent Goa governments refused to endorse the Rane-Bommai pact.
In 2000, the S M Krishna government took the initiative to implement the Kalasa-Banduri project.
In 2001, Karnataka sought permission from the Centre to divert 7.56 tmcft of water from Mahadayi to meet the drinking water need of Hubballi-Dharwad and other towns and villages in the region.
The Centre gave in-principle clearance to the project in April 2002, but kept it in abeyance following objection from Goa.
In 2006, Goa filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking a stay on Karnataka’s efforts to execute the project.
Karnataka, in its affidavit before the Supreme Court, promised not to draw water from Mahadayi till all necessary clearances were secured.
The apex court, while rejecting Goa’s plea for staying the project, restricted Karnataka from undertaking works that fall within forest areas.
Following a plea from Goa, the Centre agreed to set up a tribunal in 2010 headed by Justice J M Panchal to settle the dispute.
In 2011, apex court transferred all suits on Mahadayi to the tribunal.
The first sitting of the tribunal was held in 2014. It rejected Goa’s plea seeking demolition of works executed by the Karnataka on the project.
Tribunal had directed Karnataka to take measures to prevent Mahadayi water from entering into the canals and plug the vents till the dispute is redressed.
Almost 75 per cent of the work in the non-forest area within Karnataka has been completed in Khanapur taluk. The state is waiting for environmental clearance for taking up work in the forest area. Already, `156 crore has been spent on the project.
On August 24 this year, a delegation from Karnataka met PM Narendra Modi seeking his intervention for an out of court settlement, but he refused to be drawn in.