Kuruburu Shanthakumar urges DCM to resign

Bengaluru, NT Bureau: Kuruburu Shanthakumar, State President of the Union of State Farmers' Organizations, has called for the resignation of Irrigation Minister and deputy CM DK Shivakumar in the light of the Tungabhadra Reservoir gate breach.

Shanthakumar, speaking at a press conference on Sunday, attributed the incident to government negligence and demanded a high-level investigation.

The breach resulted in significant water loss from the reservoir, damaging crops across 22 lakh hectares in North Karnataka. Shanthakumar criticized Shivakumar for failing to address flood risks and for neglecting necessary infrastructure updates, including the replacement of the 70-yearold gates.

He further condemned the government’s handling of the situation, accusing it of prioritizing politics over farmer welfare and worsening the plight of farmers who had hoped for a successful harvest after recent rains.