Farmers end indefinite stir in Kurugodu after officials assure water to D7 canal

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AIKKMS activists and farmers protesting outside the Irrigation Department office in Kurugodu, Ballari district, on Saturday. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Farmers withdrew their overnight and indefinite protest near the Irrigation Department office in Kurugodu, Ballari district, on Saturday after officials assured them that water would be supplied to the tail-end areas of the D7 canal.

The protest, which had entered its second day, was launched by farmers demanding adequate water for irrigation as they prepare for sowing and to protect the standing crops. The farmers had insisted that at least 600 cusecs of water be released into the D7 canal until the onset of the next spell of rain.

An executive engineer from Ballari arrived at the protest site around 9 p.m. on Friday and held discussions with the farmers on the release of water. The talks initially failed to break the deadlock, with the farmers refusing to withdraw their agitation.

The farmers said they had lost confidence in assurances given by officials during an earlier protest on September 2, as the commitments made then had not been fulfilled. They demanded that the government immediately ensure the required quantity of water in the canal, particularly to enable water to reach villages and farms at the tail end of the system.

On Saturday, the assistant executive engineer of the taluk Irrigation Department held discussions with senior officials in the presence of departmental official Supreeth and assured the farmers that steps would be taken to ensure that water reached farmers in every village, including those at the tail end of the canal.

Following the assurance, the farmers called off their agitation.

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