Farmers stage protest, detain KBJNL official’s jeep over broken canal gate

CH NEWS RAICHUR Hundreds of farmers from several villages staged a sudden protest, blocking the Surpur–Hunagunda State Highway to condemn the failure of Krishna Bhagya Jala Nigam Limited (KBJNL) officials to repair a damaged canal gate even three days after it broke down.The gate of Sub-Canal No. 2, under the Shahapur branch canal of the Narayanapura Left Bank Canal, had broken and fallen three days ago. Farmers from Koodalagi, Baichbal, Kannelli, Parasanahalli and other villages expressed anger over the delay in repairs, alleging that the lack of irrigation water was threatening their standing crops. The protest was held near Kittur Rani Chennamma Circle in Kembhavi, where farmers blocked the state highway, disrupting vehicular movement.As their crops were drying up due to the shortage of water, the agitated farmers intensified their protest. When a KBJNL official from the Malagatti Sub-Division arrived at the spot, the protesters made him sit on the department's official jeep and continued their agitation to draw the authorities' attention to their plight. Addressing the gathering, the farmers said paddy crops were at a crucial grain-formation stage and would suffer severe damage if water was not released in time. They warned that the lakhs of rupees invested in cultivation would go to waste if the crops failed to develop grains due to inadequate irrigation. Circle Police Inspector Deepak Bhushareddy visited the protest site and held discussions with senior irrigation department officials. Following an assurance that canal water flow would be reduced to facilitate repairs to the damaged gate, the farmers withdrew their protest. The agitation highlighted the urgency of repairing irrigation infrastructure and ensuring timely water supply to protect farmers' crops and investments.