The Observer Issue 28

Page 1

theweeklyobserver.in

THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2016 An IIJNM Print Publication

Volume 15 Issue 28

THE

WEEKLY OBSERVER

Thousands left stranded as farmers blockade airport road

Bemused tourists and angry commuters were left gridlocked by the protest

PayalGangishetty A tractor army of farmers blocked the main road to the city airport earlier today, leaving commuters stuck in traffic for up to four hours. Police lathicharged farmers who broke through a barricade at Mekhri Circle but the senior officer in charge later claimed there had been “no traffic congestion” and that their plans for the protest had ensured everything went smoothly. Images on social media clearly show officers--some in riot helmets--attacking farmers. One image, at the ITC WIndsor Hotel underpass, shows several pairs of sandals scattered across the main road. Thousands of farmers from rural Karnataka converged on the city to protest over water shortages. The busy airport road was one of several roads blocked for over three hours. Different groups of farmers held the city’s traffic to ransom, while traffic police denied knowledge. The ACP for Bangalore West, G A Jagadish, said, “Everything was planned, and there was no traffic congestion. Instructions were given

to cops for proper flow of traffic.” The day saw four different groups come together to protest under the leadership of Kuruburu Shantakumar, president of the Indian Sugarcane Farmer’s Association. (ISFA) One set of protesters claimed that the managing director of a financial company had cheated more than 80,000 rural investors by promising high interest rates. The managing director, B.L Ravindranath, of Green Buds Agro Farm Ltd, B.L was taken under judicial custody a year ago and investigations are on-going. Farmers and their families from various parts of Karnataka came in groups to stage a protest from Freedom Park to Vidan Soudha. “We want the Chief Minister to take serious action against this issue. It is our hard earned money that we have lost. We will not go back until we get a positive response,” said Dineshappa, one of the farmers who was protesting. According to the protestors Ravindernath owned large amounts of land and other valuable assets in Mysore. He had been running Green Buds Agro Farm for more than 15 years and has

branches all over Karnataka. “ He promised 25 per cent interest on maturity after three months but we have not got a single rupee,” said Krishna Patil, an agent for the company. He added, “I had around 120 customers who have deposited in that company and everyone has been duped, now they are asking me to return the amount.” “He is under judicial custody and the investigation against him is almost completed, We will be filing a charge sheet very soon. All his identified property will be auctioned,” said Hemanth Nembalkar, Inspector General CID. Yet another three groups protested claiming that cooperative sugar mills owed them a total of Rs5,000 crores. The group crippled traffic near Anand Rao Circle where vehicles were barred from using the flyover for a short space of time by the traffic police. Apart from these, a group, ‘Karnataka Rajya Raita Sangha’ (Karnataka State Famer’s Association), demanded a permanent solution to water shortages in Kolar, Chickballapur and Tumkur districts. The group’s president is an independent MP from Hasan constituency, Kodi-

Credit: Harish Upadhya halli Chandrashekhar. They demanded implementation of the ‘Yettinahole project’ to achieve this goal. The project would divert water from the Netharavati River to their districts. The police imposed a ban on tractors causing traffic

to come to a standstill near Mekhri Circle. ACP Jagadish added, “Around 180 protesters have been arrested from Chandrashekar’s group.” Continued on P3

Tractors stranded near Freedom Park

Farmers protesting in front of Freedom Park

Credit: Harish Upadhya


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