Cauvery agitation enters 54th day

Mysore, Mar 30 (UNI) Rasta roko, dharnas and relay hunger strikes marked the agitation in the Cauvery basin region against the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal which entered the 54th day today.

In Mandya, road blockades were put up in various taluks and villages. Protests were also held at Mallavali, Maddur and other places in the district. The relay hunger strike by the Cauvery Hitarakshana Samithi, led by its president G Made Gowda, continued at Silver Jubilee park. Dharnas were also staged at Maddur, Pandavapura and Srirangapatna.

In Mysore, the Cauvery Kriya Horatta Samithi continued its dharna at K R Circle.

Meanwhile, Karnataka Housing Minister D T Jayakumar told newspersons here that the Government would take up Kabini II stage works soon and revised estimates would be worked out for the project, which would help irrigate 1.23 lakh hectares of land in Mysore, Nanjangud and Chamarajanagara. The modernisation of Kabini right bank canal would be taken up at a cost of Rs 53 crore shortly.

UNI