Kushalnagar: Taking the agitation to the next level, leaders demanding separate Cauvery taluk with Kushalnagar as centre have resorted to fasting from January 1 and observed half day bandh on January 4 to mount pressure on the state government to fulfill their long pending demand for separate taluk.
Heeding to the bandh call given by the local chambers of commerce, shops and business establishments downed shutters between 6 AM and 1 PM. Traffic on the state highway remained unaffected with buses and private vehicles plying as usual. However, attendance in schools and colleges remained thin. Zilla, Taluk and Gram Panchayats supported by 19 ward committees marched from Shirangala village airing their grievances holding banners and placards. They were joined by other ward committee members from the opposite side and converged at Kushalnagar to support of the bandh.
V P Shashidhar, who is spearheading the cause for separate taluk along with Rajashekar and few others have begun hunger strike to apprise the government of the seriousness of the issue from January 1. One of the leaders named Mustafa fell ill during fast as no medical teams and services were in attendance. Enraged by the lack of medical care, few men burnt tyres on the road and formed human chain blocking traffic for one hour on the state highway.
They shouted slogans against the administration and demanded the presence of Tahsildar and medical services. Finally, Dr. Pratham from the government hospital arrived at the agitation spot in an ambulance and suggested that leader Mustafa be shifted to district hospital Madikeri for further treatment.
When Tahsildar Mahesh and Revenue Inspector Nandakumar arrived at the spot and to console the protestors, they too had to bear the brunt of sloganeering by them. Leaders and agitators irked by the lackadaisical attitude of the administration said that the deputy commissioner had once visited them but to no avail.
Meanwhile, MLC Veena Achaiah had met the protestors last night, requesting them to withdraw the fast as the chief minister’s visit to the district is due on January 9. She assured them of convincing the CM to take a final call on the issue. But the leaders were not convinced and decided to continue the fast till their demands are fulfilled.
ZP members Kumuda Dharmappa, Latif and Sunita Manjunath were among the prominent ones among those present today. Fortunately, no untoward incidents were reported in the town during the bandh, though a short duration traffic disruption caused some inconvenience to travellers on the state highway.
