Mounesh Vishwakarma
Daijiworld Media Network - Bantwal (SP)
Bantwal, Sep 14: Some farmers planted seedlings in agricultural field at Koppala within Sajipamunnur village on Tuesday September 13. This land had been left uncultivated for over a decade as the land in question and also a large tract of land in its vicinity was facing uncertainty of getting submerged in standing water of Thumbay vented dam, height of which has been increased. For the first time, paddy seedlings were planted in the field belonging to former MLA, N Shivaraya.
Since over a decade, people from the region had left their fields barren, as their lands faced the prospect of getting submerged with the construction of new dam at Thumbay for supplying water to Mangaluru city. They had not received compensation for the land proposed to go under water, nor were they able to raise crops. In spite of their best efforts and repeated enquiries, they had no clear information whatsoever about the fields going under waer.
Now, on the basis of promise made by people's representatives to restrict standing water at Thumbay dam to five metres, the farmers have resumed farming in land which was not tilled since the last many years. The farmers said that they have undertaken farming on the basis of assurance given by Mangalore City Corporation, adding that if their crops get submerged, they will hold the government responsible for meeting the loss.
Hasiru Sene state general secretary, Kumara Subrahmanya Shastri, district president of the organization, Sridhar Shetty Bailuguthu, secretary, Manohar Shetty, and many others were present.