The indefinite strike by the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) members here, demanding Cauvery and Hemavati waters to canals for saving standing crops, entered the third day on Sunday. Some Congress and BJP leaders extended their solidarity to the agitators by visiting the protest venue.
Crops on hundreds of acres of land have withered following the lack of water and the prevailing dry weather. The cultivators, afraid of losing crops, launched the agitation under the banner of KRRS on Saturday.
KRRS leader Darshan Puttannaiah, who is the son of K.S. Puttannaiah, late Melkote MLA, has been leading the agitation. He urged the State government to effectively place the demands [for water] before the Cauvery Water Management Authority’s (CWMA) meeting on June 25. He urged officials to brief the CWMA effectively about the situation to seek water required to save the crops.