Mysuru ryots seek compensation

Standing crops such as paddy, sugarcane, and cotton have withered on lakhs of hectares owing to failure of rain.

Kuruburu Shanthakumar, president of the cane growers’ association in a release said that the farmers stand to lose hundreds of crores of rupees owing to crop failure. They said it was the government’s duty to provide compensation to farmers as it had failed to provide water for the crops through irrigation canals. 

They said the crops have withered to such an extent that they will not recover even if it rain in the coming days. 

Shanthakumar said a farmers’ convention will be organised at Maharaja’s grounds on October 5. It will be attended by farmers from six districts of the Cauvery basin and they will discuss the issue of compensation and pressurising the government to seek change of judicial officers in the Supreme Court. 

Criticising the Supreme Court verdict against Karnataka, Shanthakumar termed it most impractical, unscientific and grossly unfair. He said that the court did not even care to study the ground reality in Karnataka. 

He said whatever water is left in the four reservoirs may not be sufficient to meet the water needs of the state till the next monsoon. However, he welcomed the decision of the State government to seek an urgent review of the Supreme Court order to set up a Cauvery Management Board.