Farmers in Karnataka oppose release of water

Mandya: The Supreme Court's interim order directing Karnataka to release 10,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu evoked protest today with the 'Cauvery Hitharakshana Samithi' giving a call for district bandh tomorrow in the event of water release.

President of Cauvery Hitharakshana Samithi (Cauvery Protection Committee) G Madegowda termed the order as "unscientific and unacceptable".

He warned the state government against releasing water and demanded that it should protect the interest of farmers of the state.

Reacting to media reports on the Cauvery issue, he said, "When we have scarcity of water even for drinking, how can we comply with the Supreme Court orders."

"The Mandya farmers are already suffering from acute shortage of water for their standing crops. The apex court order came as a rude shock. We will fight it legally after consulting of legal counsel," he said.

Samithi vice president M S Atmananda told reporters that, "We will fight against the injustice meted out to farmers. We are not in a position to release water as per the Supreme Court order. We will intensify the stir from tomorrow".

K S Puttannaiah, president of Rajya Rytha Sangh, termed the verdict as a "death blow".

He also called on agitators to launch protest rallies throughout the state if water was released to Tamil Nadu.

The was a huge traffic jam at Gejjalagere on Bangalore Mysore Road as farmers blocked roads after hearing the SC order on Cauvery issue. They urged the government not to release water.