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Amid the ongoing protest against the state government over its alleged neglect of the Upper Krishna Project (UKP) in Bagalkot district, the farmers have threatened to start a protest demanding a separate state for North Karnataka if the demands are not met met.
Hundreds of farmers from across Bagalkot have been protesting at the Deputy Commissioner’s office and the UKP Rehabilitation and Rebuilding office since November 29, accusing the government of not meeting their long-standing demands. The protest received widespread support, prompting political leaders to take action.
Teradal BJP MLA Siddu Savadi, addressing the protesters, warned the government against large-scale agitation involving districts of Kittur and Kalyana Karnataka regions. “If the same attitude continues, the entire northern division will argue for a separate state. The government is acting quickly on the demands of the southern region and is least concerned about our demands,” Savadi said.
Criticizing the state’s focus on water disputes in Cauvery, Savadi said: “The government is bowing to the farmers of Mandya and Mysuru. The entire state is burning for Cauvery, and the protesters from that region are being provided with everything. However, neither the government nor the southern leaders are creating water-related problems in North Karnataka.”
Savadi further emphasized the government’s passivity towards the UKP, despite its 60-year history. “The UKP was started sixty years ago and is still not completed. It is the best example of negligence towards our region,” he said. Referring to the displacement caused by the Alamatti Reservoir, he added: “Hundreds of families lost their homes and thousands of hectares of agricultural land have not been compensated. Those who lost their lands due to the backwaters of the Alamatti Reservoir were only partially compensated.”
Former Congress minister SR Patil, also present at the protest, criticized the state government for its lack of financial support to the UKP. “The government cannot say that it has no money for the UKP. If necessary, it should sell government property in Bengaluru to continue the stalled project,” he said.
Recalling the founding of the UKP, he said: “Former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri laid the foundation stone for the project in 1964, and yet it remains incomplete. During the 2023 election campaign in Vijayapura, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah promised this ₹75,000 crore for UKP and ₹40,000 crore per year for water projects. However, he has not allocated any money to the UKP in his last two budgets.”
The growing frustration has reignited calls for a separate state for North Karnataka, with protesters and leaders accusing the government of consistently sidelining the region’s development needs. Savadi warned: “If the government does not act, the demand for separate statehood will increase in the entire northern division.”
Ashok Chandaragi, chairman of the Belagavi Kannada Organizations Action Committee, supported the protesters’ demands but opposed the call for a separate state. He argued that even if a separate state were formed, it would not have the revenue sources necessary to sustain itself. “Only the UKP needs money ₹70,000 million,” he said.
Instead of demanding a separate North Karnataka state, Chandaragi suggested pushing for the declaration of the UKP as a national project, which would allow the Union government to do its bit. He cited the example of the Bhadra Right Bank project in Karnataka, which irrigates over 600,000 hectares of land.
“The Kannada organizations support the farmers’ agitation in Bagalkot, but not their demand for a separate state. We want the state to remain intact,” Chandaragi said.
Reacting to the ongoing protest, PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi told mediapersons on Wednesday that the project was halted due to a number of reasons and would start soon.
“The government will soon pay compensation to those who lost land due to the project and work will begin soon,” he added.
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