MYSURU: Protests erupted in the Cauvery heartland of Mandya and Mysuru on Thursday after the Supreme Court refused to interfere with orders of the CWMA and CWRC directing Karnataka to release 5,000 cusecs of water to TN for the next 15 days.
Farmers and members of various organisations took to the streets against the apex court’s directives with the Raitha Hitharakshana Samiti calling for a Mandya bandh on Saturday. The agitators formed a human chain in prominent junctions and blocked the Bengaluru-Mysuru highway.
Members of the Raitha Hitharakshana Samiti and Mysugar factory achukat sugarcane growers submitted a memorandum to the officials at the Mandya Deputy Commissioner’s office urging the government not to release water to the neighbouring state as there is not enough water in the KRS and Kabini reservoirs. Calling the directives to Karnataka unscientific, they feared that there would be no water to quench the thirst of Mysuru, Mandya, Bengaluru and other districts in the Cauvery basin if water is released.
Meanwhile, progressive farmer K Kemparaju of Maddur and ex-serviceman RP Ravi of Pandavapura
have filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the release of water to Tamil Nadu and the petition will come up for hearing on Friday.
Meanwhile, sugarcane growers also staged a protest and blocked the highway. The farmers claimed that Mettur and Bhavani reservoirs in TN have a combined storage of 69 tmcft of water. They said Karnataka being told to release water in a distress year is a death blow to the state.
Meanwhile in Mysuru, members of the Karnataka Sena Pade staged a protest raising slogans against CWMA and TN government. Meanwhile, several Kannada activists and members of Kannada Chaluvaligara Sangha staged a protest in front of the CADA office in Mysuru.