Various organisations staged protest in different parts of the city on Tuesday, making the day replete with struggle for justice.
Sugar cane growers blocked Mysore-Ooty national highway 212 for over an hour, alleging the failure of the state government in fixing price per tonne of cane for the current year.
The cane growers who had converged at Koodanahalli gate on the highway under the leadership of Sugar Cane Growers Association president Kurbur Shanthakumar and general secretary Attahalli Devaraj squatted on the middle of the busy road, bringing the vehicles to a screeching halt.
Addressing the protestors, Shanthakumar alleged that all the netas including Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa have forgotten the woes of farmers, to save their own skin.
The minister concerned has taken a decision to fix the price against the interest of farmers. Though the rate of sugar in the international market has seen a rise of Rs 3,400, the government has increased the rate of cane per tonne by a meagre Rs 50. He announced that the association will lay siege to Vidhana Soudha in near future, if the government delays further.
District president of the association Koodanahalli Rajendra warned of stopping supply of cane to factories.
Taking note of the agitation, tahsildar Manjunathaswamy who met the protestors assured to bring the woes to the notice of deputy commissioner, thus bringing the road block to an end.
Earlier tension prevailed for sometime, when the police inspector Gopalakrishna warned the protestors against blocking the busy road, without taking permission in advance. According to the procedure, organisations have to mandatorily obtain permission from police authorities before staging any demonstration in public.
South police have booked a case against the protestors for holding an unlawful protest.
Women’s Congress
High drama was witnessed at the foot of Chamundi hill when the women Congress workers took to cleaning act. Enraged by the recent climbing of the steps to the shrine by energy minister Shobha Karandlaje, Congress workers led by KPCC women’s chief Manjula Naidu, district president Meena Thoogudeepa Srinivas poured water after fetching it from the tap nearby as ‘cleansing act’. They also staged a sit-in near the foot hill, making a mockery of the minister saying she has failed to protect women’s welfare too.
K R Mill workers
Former workers of now defunct K R Mill staged a demonstration opposing the delay on the part of official liquidator, High Court of Karnataka.
The workers who sat on protest near the office of deputy commissioner here, alleged that though there is a ruling by State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) to settle compensation before July 30, 2011, the official liquidator is still dithering to act.
The mill was closed in 1984 and the government officially declared its lock out in 1991.
However, it was in the year 1998 compensation in the range of Rs 5,000 to Rs 12,000 was given as ex-gratia.
Though the relief was distributed on a large scale in 2004 for 1,400 workers, it was again on temporary basis.
Total settlement still eludes the workers, most of them are at the last leg of their lives.
DSS
Members of Karnataka Rajya Dalitha Sangharsha Samithi staged a sit-in in front of the office of deputy commissioner condemning the recent statement of primary and secondary education minister Vishweshwara Hegde Kageri calling those who oppose Bhagavad Gita abhiyan at schools to leave the country.
The agitators led by their district convener alleged that the very act of the minister belittles the respect commanded by a minister.
They urged the chief minister to sack the education minister from the cabinet, besides revoking the decision to conduct the abhiyan.