From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, Dec 19: State BJP Yuva Morcha will be embarkinf on a three-day padayatra from Chikballapur to Bengaluru from Saturday seeking permanent irrigation facilities to three drought-prone districts of Kolar, Chikballapur and Bengaluru rural.

Over 2000 activists of the Morcha would be participating in the padayatra, which would be flagged off from Shidlaghatta Circle in Chikballapur by State BJP President Prahlad Joshi on Saturday at 10.30 a.m.

BJP Yuva Morcha activists would visit Muddenahalli, a birth place of Bharata Ratna Sir M Visvesvaraya in Chikballapur and launch the padayatra after paying tributes to the late statesman engineer.

The 57 km padayatra would reach Freedom Park in Bengaluru on Monday evening.

Addressing presspersons here on Friday, State BJP Yuva Morcha President P Muniraju Gowda said: “Our major objective is to put pressure on the government to implement a project to ensure at least 100 tmcft water to 15 drought-hit taluks of three districts."

The Yettinahole project would ensure only 22 TMCft water to three districts, which he termed as totally "insufficient" to cater to the needs of farmers.

The three districts have been producing vegetables and fruits and supplying to Bengaluru.
However, owing to scanty rainfall, farmers have not been able to cultivate their lands, he said.

Businessmen from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh have been purchasing lands from farmers in Kolar and Chikballapur districts, Muniraju Gowda claimed.

After completion of the padayatra, the Morcha would submit a memorandum to Governor Vajubhai Rudabhai Wala, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Water Resources Minister M B Patil urging the Government to implement the project to ensure 100 tmcft of water to the three districts.