Staging a protest outside the residence of MLA M P Kumaraswamy in Mudigere on Wednesday, the members and the villagers who will be benefited from the project garlanded the portrait of Mahatma Gandhi outside the residence.

They shouted out slogans against Mudigere MLA Kumaraswamy and Chikmagalur MLA C T Ravi for having been failed to implement the project.

“We had, in the past requested the MLAs to start the project because it would benefit a lot of people. This has fallen on deaf ears. We have given enough time to start the project but the elected representatives do not seem to be taking us seriously. We will continue to stage protests till the project is started again,” said the leaders.

The project would provide irrigation facilities to 1,500 acre land in Malaloor area through Biranjahalla lift irrigation. Due to persistent requests and protests from the farmers the project was given administrative approval in 1998 and the foundation was laid in 2000.

The project planned at Rs 2.52 crore was started and a sum of Rs 50 lakh was released for the same.

Jack well, Intake well, pump house, pipeline works were taken up but were abandoned half way, say the farmers adding that the project, which was under the Minor Irrigation Department, was handed over to Cauvery Water Board after C T Ravi became the MLA.

New survey

A fresh survey was conducted for the same project in 2010 and a revived plan of Rs 7.85 crore was prepared.

Though the local MLA had said that he would not rest till the project is started again, he had not done anything in that direction, complain the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha and Hasiru Sene members.

Cong, CPI support

Both Congress and Communist Party of India expressed support to the protest.
Leaders of both the party remained present during the protest to exhibit their solidarity.