Over 1,000 submit letters boycotting voting over multi-village drinking water scheme in Tirthahalli

Residents of a few villages in Tirthahalli taluk submitted letters declaring that they would not vote in Tirthahalli on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Around 1,000 voters from several villages in Tirthahalli opposing the proposed multi-village drinking water scheme, submitted letters to the tahsildar on Tuesday declaring that they would boycott the Lok Sabha elections.

The residents resolved to boycott the election as the government did not respond to their opposition to the ‘unwanted’ scheme. More than 1,000 voters have written letters voluntarily declaring not to vote in the election.

Opposition

Kodlu Venkatesh and other leaders of Bheemeshwara Sangama Ulisi Horata Samiti submitted copies of the letters to the tahsildar. The samiti, in their memorandum, stated that the residents of Kodlu, Alageri, Gudde Koppa, Kasavaralli, Haregolige, and Hunasavalli villages had been opposing the multi-village scheme for the last 10 months.

The administration continued with the project, without responding to the protesters. Fed up with the attitude of the administration and the elected representatives, the residents took this decision, the letter said.

The project intends to supply drinking water from Bheemeshwara Sangama, where two rivers – Malathi and Tunga join, to 1,616 habitations in the taluk at a cost of ₹344 crore. The residents are worried that the project would deprive them of water for agricultural purposes. Besides that, the project was not necessary as most of the habitations in the taluk were located on the river banks. The protesters argued that the project was conceived only to benefit the contractor lobby.