Goemkarponn desk
BELAGAVI: Karnataka activists, including some women, protested in front of a KTC bus at the Rani Chennamma Circle in Belagavi, demanding that the Kalasa-Bhandura project begin construction as soon as possible.
They yelled anti-Goa slogans in response to the state of the Mhadei water diversion. The demonstration coincides with PRAWAH members’ inspection of locations related to Mhadei’s proposed diversion into the Malaprabha area. Goa has firmly opposed Karnataka’s attempts to obtain approvals for the Kalasa-Bhandura project.
The KTC bus was stopped by the protestors, who then surprised the passengers by holding a dharna in front of the bus. They also yelled anti-Goa slogans and carried placards featuring images of Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.
Additionally, they warned that if the Karnataka government did not start the Kalasa-Bhandura project right away, the agitation would only get worse.
If the Mhadei issue is not settled in a way that benefits Karnataka, one activist allegedly threatened to take action against the transportation of goods from Karnataka to Goa.
Nothing untoward happened. Nonetheless, a protest video featured an activist perched atop the bus.
Later, the demonstrators were asked to move aside by the police, who could be seen on camera, so that the bus could continue travelling.
