Dharwad: Various organisations, which so far held separate meetings, agitations over Mahadayi issue have now come together leaving behind their differences to raise voice unanimously to urge the State government to treat the issue seriously in line with that of Cauvery dispute.
Farmers, activists of various organizations were of the same opinion in both the meetings held in this regard in Hubballi on Tuesday and in Dharwad on Wednesday. In Hubballi the representatives of organisations from Naragund, Navalgund, Annigeri, Hubballi, Dharwad, Bagalkot, Bailhongal, and Savadatti had taken part and in district in-charge minister Vinay Kulkarni, MLA NH Konareddy, Jayamrityunjaya swamy of Koodalsangam among others had taken part.
The meetings were organized in the backdrop of Chief Ministers meeting scheduled on Oct 21 in Mumbai and prior to the all party meet in Bengaluru on Oct 19. In both meetings it was resolved to urge elected representatives from North Karnataka to speak with one voice on the row and to urge the government to constitute a high-power experts’ committee to assist the Chief Minister in the October 21 meeting.
The meeting further decided to urge the government to provide crop loss compensation to farmers of the Malaprabha command area, which is facing drought..
District in-charge minister Vinay Kulkarni who was hopeful of the Congress making full use of Mumbai meet to implement the project, said the government had already collected all the information pertaining to the water crisis faced in north Karnataka and the usefulness of this project. It would have been better if the Prime Minister Narendra Modi had chaired the meeting and taken concrete steps he said.
It was also decided to hold one more meeting of the stakeholders of the Mahadayi riparian districts in this connection in Dharwad or Hubballi on October 15.
BJP faces wrath
The participants at the meeting vented their ire on BJP leaders for not attending the meeting. Though, this issue has come to a logical end, the BJP leaders are keeping themselves aloof and escaping from discharging their duties. Minister Kulkarni said BJP leaders too would be invited for Oct 15 meeting.
