BENGALURU: Cutting across party barriers, legislators from Mysuru and Mandya decided to continue their peaceful protests against release of water of the Cauvery to Tamil Nadu, but urged the state government to convene forthwith a meeting of the Irrigation Consultative Committee (ICC) to discuss about supply of water through canals to save crops.
The meeting was attended by all MLAs’ and MLCs’ of both districts, the lone exception being former minister M.H. Ambarish.
Talking to Deccan Chronicle, Mr K.S. Puttanaiah, MLA, Melukote Assembly constituency and president of Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha, said the legislators wanted the government to continue release of water into four canals in Mandya district to help farmers commence sowing of paddy and to prevent withering of sugar cane crops.
A day after the state started releasing water to Tamil Nadu, the state government took a decision to release water into canals to help farmers of Mandya district save their crops.
The ICC must hold its meeting early and take a decision to continue further release of water to Mandya and Mysuru farmers, he said.
He said that the meeting also wanted the government to work on how to economically empower farmers in the wake of confusion till which date the government would release water to canals. Thousands of farmers in Hassan district have not grown any crop on 6.5 lakh hectares for want of water. The need of the hour was to think about those farmers who do not have any income to support their families. Banks should be directed to give fresh loans to farmers to go for the irrigation pumpsets where canal water was available to savet the sugarcane crop.
Already, the sugarcane crop was drying in many fields due to non-availability of water and if this situation continues, there would be no cane supply to sugar factories, he added.
Mr Puttanaiah demanded the government to waive crop loans borrowed by farmers from banks as they were not assured of income due to depleting water in KRS dam-the lifeline of district farmers. Besides, fodder banks must be setup in all villages for feeding cattle, he added.
