Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs T B Jayachandra met the farmers who have been protesting in front of the taluk office on Sunday night.

He listened to their grievances and explained them that there was some confusion between the State and the Union governments with regards to the Land Acquisition Act. This was delaying the implementation of the Hemavathi project in the taluk and this in return, had been delaying the procedure of providing compensation to the farmers who had lost their land in the land acquisition drive for the project.

A decision will be taken in this regard at the Cabinet meeting soon, Jayachandra said and added that with regards to the waiving off of the farm loans, the Union Government required to join its hands with the State government and then take a call. The farm loans in the nationalised banks had crossed a thousand crore. The Reserve Bank and the Union Government should take some measures in this regard, he said.

The minister informed that an amount of Rs 563 crore had already been released for the widening of the canal that supplies water from the Goruru dam to Tumkur. Only if the canal widening project gets completed can we make proper utilisation of water that has been shared. Till then, water cannot be supplied to the tanks in Chikkanayakanahalli taluk, he added.

The farmers who listened to the assurances of the minister, where not satisfied. They were not convinces with Jayachandra’s assurances and the stated that they would continue their dharna till their demands were met with.
 
MLA C B Suresh Babu, Tahsildar Kamakshamma, state secretary of the Raitha Sangha Kenkere Satish, farmer leader Thimlapur Shankaranna, Marimuttu, former MLA B Lakkappa, Seeme Enne Krishnaiah and several others were present on the occasion.