FIRM STAND: President of Cauvery Raitha Hitarakshana Samiti G. Made Gowda addressing a farmers' rally at Silver Jubilee Park in Mandya on Tuesday. (From left) KRRS president K.S. Puttanaiah, former judge Ko. Channabasappa, Tejaswini Sriramesh, MP, an d the former Minister H.N. Nanje Gowda are seen. — Photo: M.A. SRIRAM

MYSORE: The Cauvery basin in south Karnataka is on the boil as the final order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal allocating 419 tmcft of water to Tamil Nadu and 270 tmcft to Karnataka has not been received well. Undeclared bandhs, processions and rasta roko have become the order of the day, and normal life has been thrown out of gear in Mysore, Mandya and Chamarajanagar districts.

The city witnessed a partial shutdown and business was badly affected as major commercial centres preferred to down shutters fearing violence in the aftermath of the Cauvery verdict. But there were no untoward incidents as security had been tightened.

A company of the Rapid Action Force followed by other police personnel staged a flag march in the city and on outskirts to instil confidence in the public.

Various organisations, associations and trade bodies have expressed their outrage at the "injustice" meted out to the State, and this is evident in the spontaneous assembly of scores of people at traffic intersections and circles and staging of impromptu road blockages.

While bus services to rural areas were affected, the city bus service was not affected though educational institutions were closed. Government offices and industries functioned as usual, but the retail market and commercial centres in the city, including D. Devaraj Urs Road, Sayyaji Rao Road, Ashoka Road, K.T. Street and Chamaraja Double Road was badly affected as a majority of the shopkeepers feared violence and preferred to down shutters.

Scores of activists assembled at K.R. Circle under the banner of Cauvery Horata Samiti and staged a dharna condemning the final verdict of the Cauvery tribunal.

A few local leaders condemned the attitude of members of Parliament from Karnataka. The elected representatives came under fire as they were perceived to be mute spectators in Parliament and had failed to uphold and protect the interests of the State. The agitators were supported by the former Union Minister V. Srinivas Prasad who said the verdict was "shocking" and had dealt a severe blow to the farmers of Cauvery basin in Karnataka.

`Justice not done'

Shankar Bennur reports from Mandya:

A day after the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal pronounced its final verdict, farmers, under the banner of Cauvery Raitha Hitarakshana Samiti, met here on Tuesday and unanimously rejected it, saying that the order had failed to deliver fair justice and protect the interests of farmers of Cauvery basin in Karnataka.

The samiti, which had convened the crucial meeting of farmers under the leadership of the former MP and former Minister G. Made Gowda here, deferred the announcement of its next course of action to Wednesday, as it did not get a copy of the tribunal order on Tuesday. Nonetheless, it passed a resolution against Monday's verdict at the meeting.

Former judge Ko. Channabasappa, irrigation expert and former Minister H.N. Nanje Gowda, KRRS president K.S. Puttanaiah, Kanakapura MP Tejaswani Sriramesh, the former MLA Atmananda and others attended the meeting.

Farmers from different parts of Mandya district gathered at the park since morning to listen to the leaders. However, many farmers could not reach the city due to suspension of bus services by the KSRTC, anticipating trouble.

According to the samithi, the Cauvery basin in Karnataka was prone to drought. The irrigation area in the basin was less compared to Tamil Nadu for certain historical reasons.

"Considering these facts, the tribunal should have awarded its judgment allowing Karnataka to increase irrigation area in the basin."

The samiti maintained that the irrigation area in Tamil Nadu was approximately between 40 and 48 per cent while it was 25 per cent in Karnataka.

Drinking water

The samiti claimed that the order had not looked into the demand for supplying a minimum of 48 tmcft of water to Bangalore city for drinking purposes.

"This is a matter of serious concern. Not just Bangalore city, Mysore, Mandya, Channapatna and adjoining places are dependent on Cauvery water," the samiti said.

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