Protests over release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu entered
third day today in the river basin districts even as the Karnataka government
said it would file a petition in Supreme Court seeking a direction to the Prime
Minister to review the decision of the Cauvery River Authority headed by him on
water release.Vehicular traffic between Mysore-Bangalore remained
disrupted following continued protests by farmers and pro-Kannada outfits in
Mandya, Maddur, Gejjalagere and other areas.A group of farmers forced their way into Cauvery water
pumping station in Torekadanahalli near Malavalli in Mandya district, from
where Bangalore gets Cauvery water,and switched off the pumps, police said,
adding, they dispersed the protesters and restored its working.At Malavalli, members of Rajya Raitha Sangha, a farmers'
body, held a semi-nude protest. In Bangalore, pro-Kannada activists gheroed
Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar and were later arrested.Farmers' bodies also held protest in the city and demanded
the resignation of Shettar.Shettar, speaking at the Gandhi Jayanthi function in the
city, said the government is filing a petition before Supreme Court praying for
a direction to the CRA to review its September 19 directive for releasing 9,000
cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu."We have to release water honouring the Supreme Court
order. However, the government is committed to protecting the interest of
farmers of the state", he declared.Governor H R Bhardwaj advocated that an amicable settlement
should be found to the Cauvery water-sharing dispute. He said confrontational
approach would not help solve the row.Former prime minister H D Devegowda who yesterday met the
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, said the protest should be on peaceful lines and
none should politicise the issue.Complying with a directive of the Supreme Court to honour
the CRA decision, Karnataka began releasing water from Krishna Raja Sagar and
Kabini dams on Sunday to ensure flow of 9,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu.
Comments
0 comment