Mangaluru: Citing the severe drought prevailing in Karnataka, the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha, Dalit Sangharsha Samiti, and Parisarakkagi Naavu have urged Kambala buffalo owners in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi to voluntarily step away from the Mysuru kambala event.AT Ramaswamy, state president of Parisarakkagi Naavu, told reporters on Monday that the hardships being faced by farmers due to drought need to be addressed. Urging govt and organisers to cancel the event, he said that people in more than 200 taluks in the state have been facing an acute shortage of water.Kambala will be held in Mysuru as part of the Dasara festivities on Oct 18 and 19.Ramaswamy said that the organisations respect the traditional folk sport of Tulu Nadu. However, he noted that it was not the right time to organise kambala in Mysuru. Questioning the need to hold a kambala event at a time when farmers are facing an acute water shortage crisis, he said that lakhs of litres of water will be required for the event.He highlighted a severe water crisis in Mysuru district, noting that 2,928 out of 2,991 lakes had dried up, with only 63 replenished by canal water. Additionally, borewells within a 10-km radius of Mysuru city have dried up, and water levels in the Cauvery, Kabini, Hemavathi, and Harangi reservoirs are on the decline.Raising concerns over environmental impacts, Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha state president Badagalapura Nagendra said that the venue selected for the event has hundreds of trees, shrubs and habitats for small animals and birds. He alleged that over 50 trees and shrubs have already been cleared to facilitate the event. The forest department registered an FIR in connection with this too, he said, questioning the organisers for allegedly damaging the environment.Environmental activist Leela Shivakumar and other leaders expressed concern over taking buffaloes to the event during summer heat. “Owners of the buffaloes should reconsider their decision to transport buffaloes to Mysuru for the event considering the welfare of the animals,” they said.‘Farmers to return compensation’Ramaswamy condemned the state govt’s Rs 2,500 drought crop-loss compensation as an insult to struggling farmers. He said that once the money is credited, farmers in the state plan to return it to the chief minister’s Relief Fund with an added Re 1, bringing the total to Rs 2,501.
