The Mandya District Farmers’ Struggle Committee has called for a bandh in the town on Saturday to oppose the release of Cauvery waters from the State reservoirs to Tamil Nadu.
Speaking on behalf of the struggle committee, farmers’ leader Sunanda Jayaram told reporters in Mandya that the call for a dawn-to-dusk bandh had been given in the light of the Supreme Court’s refusal to interfere in the decision of Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA).
“We are in no position to release 5,000 cusecs of water for another 15 days,” she said, referring to the CWMA decision. “Hence, we have given a call for Mandya bandh to bring pressure on the State government.”
The struggle committee, which has been on an indefinite protest in front of Visvesvaraya’s statue in Mandya against the release of water to Tamil Nadu from KRS and Kabini reservoirs, has reached out to various organisations on the bandh call issue.
Seer extends support
Meanwhile, Nirmalanandanatha Swami of Adichunchanagiri Mutt turned up at the protest site to extend support to farmers of the region.
Speaking to reporters, the seer emphasised the need for the State government to bring the facts of the dire situation in Karnataka to the notice of Supreme Court and work in the direction of coming up with a distress formula.
The seer also wondered how it would be possible to meet the drinking water requirements of Bengaluru if the authorities continued to release water from KRS, whose storage level was already poor.
Hoping that the Centre would come to the State’s rescue and the State government to the rescue of farmers, Nirmalanandanatha Swami said he would not hesitate to contact the Union Water Resources Minister or the Prime Minister if it was inevitable.
