Protests erupt in Karnataka over Cauvery order

Protesting against the Supreme Court directive asking Karnataka to release 15,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu every day for the next 10 days, farmers and activists in the Cauvery basin of the State took to the streets on Tuesday.

In Mandya, protesters pelted stones at buses and ransacked the district Congress office, while farmers blockaded the busy Bengaluru-Mysuru highway, bringing traffic to a a halt for most part of the day. The district observed a day’s bandh, and over 700 State-run buses were taken off the road.

Members of the Mandya Zilla Raitha Hitarakshana Samiti (MZRHS), the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) and Kannada activists blocked traffic at 20 places between Srirangapatna and Maddur taluk on the Bengaluru-Mysuru highway. Schools and commercial establishments were also shut.

Kannada Okutta, the federation of pro-Kannada organisations, has called for a State bandh on September 9 (Friday) to draw the country’s attention to the poor storage in the Cauvery basin districts.

Meanwhile, the district administration has issued orders to police to keep a strict vigil at Krishnaraja Sagar as protesters have threatened to lay siege to the dam.

S Ziyaulla, Deputy Commissioner of Mandya, has banned the entry of tourists to the Krishnaraja Sagar reservoir and other historical places along the Cauvery for four days till September 9.

As protests spread to other districts, the inter-State movement of buses between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka has also been affected.

Mandya and Mysuru are strategically located as it connects Tamil Nadu towns like Udhagamandalam, Kotagiri, Gudalur and Coimbatore to towns in neighbouring Kerala like Wayanad, Kannur, Kasargod and Kozhikode.

As agitators staged demonstrations on the Bengaluru-Mysuru highway, the Ramanagaram police installed advisory boards at Bidadi, Ramanagaram and Channapatna asking motorists to avoid the road. They also diverted traffic to Mysuru via Kanakapura, Malavalli and Bannur.

In Bengaluru, sporadic protests were witnessed on Tuesday with bus services to Tamil Nadu, Mandya and Mysuru affected. Many passengers were left stranded at the Satellite Bus Station on Mysuru Road.

Farmer organisations staged demonstrations in different parts of Mysuru district on Tuesday in protest against the apex court order. Farmers gathered in front of the Command Area Development Authority in Mysuru as a mark of protest.

Farmers in Mysuru, led by Kabini Hitharakshana Vedike leader Kurubur Shanthakumar, blocked the road leading to Nanjangud town and burnt an effigy of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.

Meanwhile, the government has appealed to people not to resort to agitation and to maintain calm.

“My appeal to the public is that don’t resort to agitation...and keep calm and we will make all efforts to protect the interest of the farmers,” Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister TB Jayachandra told reporters in Bengaluru.

He said people should maintain calm as the order to release water was that of the Supreme Court, and that the government wouldmake its case before the Cauvery supervisory committee.