Mandya: State Water Resource Minister D K Shivakumar was stopped on his way from Mysuru to Bengaluru by the protesting farmers here on Monday, June 24, demanding release of River Cauvery water into the canals for irrigation purpose.
DKShi’s convoy was halted by the protestors and criticised for the water crisis that they are facing.
A farmer told DKShi that during election whatever the conditions were, the government had released the water without even bothering about the tribunal. He questioned why the minister was pointing his fingers towards the tribunal.
In response, DKShi said that he knew nothing about that and that he had not ordered the release of water then.
“Your district administration might have released the water. I will discuss with them on releasing the water, right away”, he assured.
The protest by Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha leader Darshan Puttanaiah and other farmers’ association members is in progress since the past four days. They warned the state government of consequences if water was not released into the canals immediately.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Dr. G Parameshwar has also assured the protestors of releasing the water soon.
Additional photographs by Lava Kumar
