Siddapur (Kundapur), March 4, 2026: A two-day padayatra titled ‘Neerigagi Namma Nadige’ (Our Walk for Water), led by former MLA K. Gopal Poojari from Byndoor, concluded here today with a public rally where a memorandum containing seven key demands was submitted to the government. The core demands include immediate implementation of the Varahi Right Bank Irrigation Project, ensuring water allocation as per the original Varahi scheme, and extending irrigation facilities to all deprived areas dependent on the Varahi River.

The yatra, which began yesterday at Kavradi-Kandlur, saw participation from thousands of farmers, villagers, and supporters. Organised in collaboration with the Byndoor and Vondse Block Congress Committees along with various local organisations, the padayatra aimed to highlight the long-pending irrigation and drinking water issues linked to the Varahi River, which has remained unresolved for over four decades despite multiple related projects.

Speaking at the concluding public meeting, former Minister Vinayakumar Sorake said the Varahi irrigation project could have been resolved long ago if 240 hectares of forest land had received clearance. He alleged that changes to the original scheme bore the contribution of MP Raghvendra and criticised that even after electoral defeat, Congress leaders have not forgotten public service.

Sorake pointed out that the district has 13 flowing rivers with ample potential to resolve water scarcity if properly utilised. “Those who wear shorts and swing sticks know nothing about irrigation,” he remarked sarcastically. He praised the district administration for taking firm action against encroachments on government land and expressed confidence that the Right Bank project would be implemented soon.

District Congress spokesperson K. Vikas Hegde highlighted that the Siddapur lift irrigation scheme currently supplies water only to two wards in Siddapur town. “The government’s multi-crore DPR has been altered, leaving thousands of hectares including deprived areas without water. Our demand is to restore coverage to at least 4,000 hectares as originally planned,” he said.

Gopal Poojari dismissed claims that his political career is over as mere illusion. He credited Jayaprakash Hegde for bringing the long-distance project through the salt-water barrier construction. Mocking the Jal Jeevan Mission, he said: “Pipes are visible everywhere in Byndoor constituency under Jal Jeevan Mission, but not a drop of water comes.”

Brahmavara Sugar Factory President Sampigedi Sanjeev Shetty, Varahi Water Users Association President Santosh Shetty Baladi, and Vondse Block Congress Committee President Pradeep Kurma Shetty Gudibettu also addressed the gathering.

Participants, including farmers and villagers, unanimously urged the government to implement equitable water sharing from the Varahi River and expedite all pending irrigation and drinking water projects linked to it.

GangolliNews

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