Anti-Ettinahole protest in B'lore on Mar 20

Water crisis: Committee will urge govt to take up Paramashivaiah Report

Members of the District Permanent Irrigation Agitation Committee has called for a symbolic protest on March 20 in Bangalore in opposition of the Ettinahole
project in drought-affected districts.

In a revival of the agitation of the water-related fights in the area, weeks after the State government decided to go ahead with the Ettinahole project, the Committee has decided to implement the first phase of struggle in front of the Mahatma Gandhi bust in the State capital.

The protesters hope to urge the government to implement the Paramashivaiah report through the dharna.

Members of various groups attended a meeting in the city on Saturday to decide on staging the protest. Residents of different villages in Kolar, Chikkaballapur and Bangalore Rural districts will participate in the protest, they said.

Making known

K P Bachegowda, legislator, said spreading awareness about the conditions of the drought-affected districts was important.

He insisted that the State government give preference to the Paramashivaiah report in the coming budget and warned of an incessant struggle till the project was implemented.

Insistent

Anjaneya Reddy, convenor of the Committee, said they had never asked for implementation of the Ettinahole project. But they had not opposed it either.

“Regardless of whether the project is implemented or not, we insist that the irrigation programmes be based on the Paramashivaiah report,” he added.

More meetings

Sushma, the women's forum convenor, said the Committee should meet more often than once or twice a year. “There should be monthly meetings, attended by members of gram, taluk and zilla panchayats as well as other elected representatives,” she said and agreed that an incessant struggle only could pressurise the government into agreeing to their demands.

KMF director K V Nagaraj, CPM leader Lakshmaiah, JD(S) local leader K R Reddy, Zilla Panchayat member P N Munegowda, Taluk Panchayat vice-president Venkatanarayanappa, Dalita Sangharsha Samiti convenor K C Rajakanth and others were present on the occasion.