Ticketless travel! Mahadayi protesters decide to up ante

Hubballi: Annoyed over the lethargic attitude of the government and elected representatives in resolving the Mahadayi water dispute, farmers have started a non-cooperation movement by resorting to ticketless travel.

Thousands of farmers travelled in buses and trains without paying fares to visit Bengaluru on Monday. They will launch an indefinite dharna at Freedom Park from Tuesday. One batch of farmers is already staging protests in front of offices of all political parties in Bengaluru.

The agitation for Kalasa Banduri project entered the 131st day on Monday in Nargund town which was the launch pad for the movement. Thousands of farmers from four districts of Mumbai-Karnataka region converged at Hubballi railway station on Monday evening wearing green shawls after the authorities agreed to ticketless travel. However, many of them entered into a verbal duel with the bus conductors while reaching the railway station as North-West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) did not give its approval for ticketless travel.

Meanwhile, several farmer leaders expressed resentment against the State government for its plan to file ian nterim application before Mahadayi tribunal to seek only 7.56 tmc of water.

 Terming the move of the government as an attempt to mislead the farmers, they claimed that four districts of Mumbai-Karnataka region needed 47 tmc of water to meet requirement of all farmers coming under the river basin. They also launched a tirade against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for failing to visit the protest site in Nargund during his tour of Gadag district on Sunday.

“The farmers in North Karnataka are facing severe financial crunch as the region has been hit by drought this year. Therefore, we have launched non-cooperation movement through ticketless travelling in buses and trains. We have taken permission to hold dharna for seven days in Freedom Park and we will extend it further if the government continues its negligent attitude towards early resolution of the Mahadayi water dispute. Various organisations have made arrangement to provide food and accommodation to the farmers in Bengaluru,” said Kalasa Banduri Horata Samanvaya Samiti President Veerabasappa Hugar.

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