Congress resumes Mekedatu padayatra amid fanfare

KPCC president D K Shivakumar and AICC general secretary in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala beat Damaru to drum up support for their campaign for Mekedatu drinking water project as Congress state unit resumed its foot march from Ramanagara. Credit: DH Photo

“A housing layout is on the anvil near Mayaganahalli in Ramanagara taluk. The developers were in for a shock when they dug several borewells and found no water. This is our plight, we struggle for drinking water. When we boil water, there’s a visible layer of salt deposits. We need a solution for this drinking water crisis,” said Jayaramaiah, a farmer from Mayaganahalli, Ramanagara taluk.

On Sunday afternoon, Jayaramaiah was among the many locals who stood by the roadside to watch the Congress padayatra for Mekedatu project. Although Jayaramaiah himself did not take part in the campaign, he and many from his village hoped that this foot march would put pressure on both the state and union governments to give a nod to the project.

Bringing traffic to a grinding halt in Ramanagara on the busy Bengaluru-Mysuru highway, thousands of Congress party workers and supporters joined the ‘Namma Neeru, Namma Hakku’ foot march, which was relaunched by the Congress on Sunday. As the foot march progressed towards Bidadi, those commuting the stretch in private transport were seen desperately looking for alternative routes to reach Bengaluru.

Also read: Clear Mekedatu project at the earliest, Siddaramaiah tells Centre

The party had called off the padayatra mid-way in January, owing to increasing cases of Covid-19.

Despite the scorching heat, the campaign began amid much fanfare. Congress leaders visited the local Chamundeshwari temple and a dargah before embarking on the journey.

The venue reverberated with the sound of drums. Artists performed folk performances such as Pooja Kunitha and Kamsale, flagging off the event.

The event saw many party workers and farmers from Mandya, Hassan and Ramanagara districts among others. Puttaswamy, a farmer from Maddur, said more than 50 people from his gram panchayat (Maruliga GP) alone had joined the march for drinking water.

“Bengaluru and surrounding regions have a scarcity of drinking water. There is so much pressure to supply water from KRS for drinking water purposes in Bengaluru. With the Mekedatu project, this burden will ease,” he said.

The participants were treated to fruits and beverages along the way, to help them brave the heat of the summer afternoon. The five-day campaign, which began from Ramanagar on Sunday and will culminate at National College, Basavanagudi on March 3, 2022.

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