Cauvery water issue: Farmers call for Delta bandh on October 11

TIRUCHY: The Confederation of the Farmers Associations from the Cauvery Delta regions on Saturday announced a bandh on October 11 demanding the Karnataka state to release water for irrigation and the DMK farmers wing extended support to them.

The meeting of the members from the Confederation was held in Thanjavur on Saturday in which the DMK farmers wing also took part and the meeting discussed elaborately the need for water for Delta irrigation to save the standing kuruvai.

The meeting resolved to express unity in the Cauvery issue and decided to organise a bandh in the delta region on October 11.

Later, speaking to reporters, AKS Vijayan, State Secretary of DMK Farmers Wing, said, that since the water from Mettur was released on the customary date of June 12 for delta irrigation and kuruvai package was announced on time, the farmers took up kuruvai cultivation expecting adequate water for the entire season and so the cultivation of kuruvai exceeded than the actual target.

However, the Karnataka government failed to release water further, despite the apex court order and this resulted in withering of crops. Around 2 lakh acre of kuruvai has so far gone dry. “So, the farmers associations have been staging a series of protests to save the standing crops but still, there was no positive response from Karnataka,” Vijayan said.

Pointing out that the Karnataka BJP and Kannada organisations have so far organised strikes twice despite having more than 80 per cent of water storage, Vijayan said, the Delta farmers have also decided to show unity in demanding water.

“Accordingly, we have decided to organise a bandh on October 11 in Tiruchy, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, Pudukkottai, Ariyalur and Cuddalore. The farmers would also organize besiege protests in front of all the central government offices on the day,” Vijayan said.