Hubballi: The movement over the Mahadayi water dispute has intensified with a bandh observed in Nargund town in Gadag district on Sunday to mark the 200th day of launching the agitation. The Mahadayi project involves diversion of water from the Mandovi river (known as Mahadayi in Karnataka) with Goa raising objections to the project.
Farmers expressed their anger against the Centre and Goa government's refusal to settle the dispute early through negotiations. They burnt effigies of Union minister Uma Bharati and Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar at various places including Nargund and Hubballi. Meanwhile, BJP leaders resorted to damage control measures by holding the state government responsible for the setback in the dialogue between Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra.
Vehicular movement on Hubballi-Vijayapur came to a standstill with farmers blocking the road in Nargund during the bandh. Due to this, passengers were put to severe hardship, forcing the KSRTC to ply buses through remote areas. The stand adopted by the BJP governments at the Centre and in Goa are expected to have political ramifications in the four districts of Mumbai-Karnataka as Congress and JD(S) will try to gain mileage in the zilla and taluk panchayat elections.
