Hubballi: Members of Ratna Bharat Raitha Samaj staged a protest in Hubballi on Monday, demanding a waiver of farmers’ crop loans, implementation of the Kalasa Banduri Mahadayi project and other demands. President Hemanagouda Basanagouda said that if the govt did not respond to the farmers’ demands, a ‘Vidhana Soudha Chalo’ movement would be launched to lay siege to the Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru on July 30.He said that Mahadayi Kalasa Banduri project should be implemented soon, and demanded the Bennehalla work, carried out with a grant of about Rs 200 crore, was of very poor quality rainwater, which did not flow into the ditch but stood in the fields, destroying farmers’ crops. He said pipes should be installed immediately, quality work should be done and farmers should be protected from floods.The protesters demanded that the privatisation of Hescom should be immediately abandoned, and all districts of North Karnataka should be declared drought-affected areas, and appropriate compensation should be waived for distressed farmers immediately. They demanded that doctors be immediately appointed to address the acute shortage of veterinary doctors in the hospitals of Dharwad district.They submitted a petition to the CM through the Tahsildar, Hubballi. Prakash Savadatti, Kallappa D, Lingayya Hiremath and others were present.
