Water scarcity triggers protests in temple towns

 Several pro farmer organisations and Yagachi Horata Samiti members observed a bandh across three hoblis and demanded immediate release of Yagachi reservoir water to drought hit villages, here on, Friday.

In the tourist town Halebeed, all the shops and commercial establishments were closed through out the day in support the protest. Farmer organisations said that the three hoblis: Halebeed, Madihalli and Javagal have been declared as drought hit and despite it, no water was supplied to these places. As a result women were forced to walk several kilometers to fetch drinking water.

Expressing thier ire against local MLA, protesters alleged that they had been stationed in the town for five days along with their livestock, but he had no courtesy to meet them and listen to their problems. Even lift irrigation, which could solve the water problem in the region had been faced with opposition by the forest department and political representatives, who were not keen on resolving the issue, they alleged.

While in Javagal, the protest was led by Seer Jayachandrashekar of Kolagunda Kedige Mutt and Maragondanahalli Mutt Guru Basavananda Swami. Jayachandrashekar said that all the water sources in Javagal had dried up in the early January itself. Farmers were finding difficult to save their crops and concerned officials were silent on the issue, he blamed. “Even if we dug borewells for 800-900 feet, there isn’t availability of water in the area.

The ground water levels have completely depleted. in such a situation, the government must come to rescue of farmers and their dying cattles,” added Guru Basavananda Swami. The town observed the day long bandh with closure of all the shops and commercial establishments.

Another tourist town Belur too observed day long bandh (excepting the educational institutions), demanding speedy work of supplying water to the three hoblis. Protesters took out a rally from Channakeshava temple and blocked the road by creating a human chain in Basaveshwara circle.

The bandh Belur and Halebeed caused inconvenience to hundreds of tourists.