Government is betraying farmers - KT Gangadhara

Working president of Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha KT Gangadhar expressed his displeasure about water not being released into Tunga and Bhadra canals in press conference at Bhadravati on Saturday

Water resource department, Bhadravat Reservoir right bank and left bank canal officials and the state government were letting the farmers down by not adhering to the schedule of stopping and releasing the water from the Bhadra reservoir into its left and right bank canals, alleged the working president of the Karnataka State Raitha Sangha KT Gangachar.

Elucidating the hardships faced by the farmers depending on the Bhadra left bank and right bank canals of the Bhadra Reservoir to the mediamen in a press conference held at Patrika Bhavan on Saturday, he retaliated that the reservoir officials and the government had failed in adhering to the schedule of water release.

The crop design policy is emphasized by the government. But, the implementation of the canal repair works is always delayed for the reasons best known to the irrigation department officials and the contractors. The history goes on repeating leaving the farmers strayed from meeting the water requirement to their farms, he lamented.

Both central and state governments provide crores of rupees in the budget for agricultural heads. Out of the seventy thousand crore earmarked for the agricultural development only thirty thousand crore rupees have been released so far. Likewise Karnataka government had earmarked three hundred crore rupees for the rejuvenating activities to facilitate the water supply to farms. This also has not been a reality since the action plan for the scheme was delayed hindering the implementation of schemes, he pointed out.

Government was following discriminatory policy in disbursing the compensation to the debt-ridden farmers who were committing suicide. The categorization of farmers as small and big considering the area of landholding was not fair. The compensation should be distributed irrespective of such discrimination, he demanded.

Replying a query KT Gangadhar charged that water resource department, government and the secretariat were defunct and streamlining the utilization of the water resource was totally neglected. Farmers were invited for the irrigation consultative committee (ICC) meetings only and they had no say in the command area development authority (CADA) functioning. The schedule of water release into the canals was always violated only to betray the farmers. The water from the Bhadra reservoir is left into Bhadra river. Although the district has two reservoirs in addition to Gondi canal project farmers were facing water scarcity and more so during the prime time of sowing. Sugarcane and paddy crops were affected worst this time. The objectives of national water mission were being defeated totally, he criticized. The political parties that ruled our states so far have failed to protect the interests of the farmers, he accused.

Intensified agitation will be launched by the KRRS if the government did not release the water into Tunga and Bhadra canals immediately, he sounded a warning bell. Jayaram, K Benakappa, Yeshwanth Rao Ghorpade, Veeresh, Ramachandra, Shivakumar, Emmehatti Mallikarujna and others were present.