CH NEWS, BENGALURU Environmental groups and regional committees have announced a massive sit-in protest at Freedom Park in Bengaluru on October 10. The demonstration aims to demand the complete conservation of the Western Ghats and protect the fragile ecosystems surrounding the Bedti, Aghanashini, and Gangavali rivers. Organized by the Bedti-Aghanashini Valley Conservation Committee alongside multiple civic organizations, the protest is scheduled to begin at 10 AM. Organizers are calling on farmers, women’s self-help groups, cooperative sector representatives, social activists, and youth residing across Bengaluru, Uttara Kannada, Malenadu, and coastal districts to join the movement in large numbers. Environmentalists and local leaders stress that the Bedti, Aghanashini, and Gangavali rivers are far more than water sources; they form the absolute backbone of rural economies in the region. Agriculture, horticulture, traditional fishing, and animal husbandry depend entirely on the uninterrupted natural flow of these waterways and the health of the surrounding Western Ghats rainforests. Protesters are strongly objecting to industrial or diversion projects that threaten to alter the natural river courses and damage regional biodiversity. Experts warn that disrupting these sensitive mountain ecosystems could severely impact local rainfall patterns, water tables, and the sustainable livelihoods of communities that have inhabited the forest belt for generations. To build a powerful state-wide united front, organizers have reached out to diverse cultural and linguistic communities—including the Siddhi, Kunabi, Marathi, Namadhari Nayak, Ediga, and Ramakshatriya groups—urging members to stand up for their ancestral roots and environmental heritage. Farmer organizations have requested participants to wear traditional green shawls to symbolize their agrarian solidarity. Furthermore, student bodies and young professionals working or studying in Bengaluru have been specifically urged to gather at Freedom Park. Organizers hope to harness the voice of urban youth to pressure authorities into shelving destructive projects and adopting a holistic, long-term environmental protection policy for the Western Ghats.