By P.T. Bopanna
Even since the merger of the Coorg State with Karnataka in 1956 due to the machinations of opportunistic politicians, Karnataka has turned Kodagu into its colony.
Though Kodagu is the birthplace of river Cauvery and the main catchment area of the river, water from the district has been diverted into the neighbouring districts at the instance of powerful politicians from Mysuru and Hassan districts.
The Rs 230-crore Harangi project was conceived for the benefit of politically powerful Mysore and Hassan districts. Though the Harangi Dam is located in Kodagu and the district is also the major catchment area of the Cauvery, the irrigation potential from the project for Kodagu is a measly 607 hectares, out of the 54,591 hectares of total irrigation potential.
What is worse is the fact that 1,909 hectares involving 13 villages in Kodagu have been submerged due to the construction of the Harangi Dam near Hulugunda village, eight km from Kushalanagar.
The taluks benefited from the Harangi project are Hunsur, K.R. Nagar and Periyapatna in Mysore district and Arakalgudu in Hassan district. The work on the Harangi dam and 153 km of the left bank canal and 138.5 km of the right bank canal have been completed.
Ironically, Mantar Gowda (in picture), a native of Arakalagudu in Hassan district which is benefited from Harangi dam, is currently the MLA for Madikeri in Kodagu district.
Interestingly, Mantar Gowda has married a native of Kodagu and has been making sincere efforts to promote brand Kodagu.
The successive governments in Karnataka have not only meted out injustice to Kodagu in the allocation of water for irrigation, but also withheld funds for projects to supply perennial drinking water to Madikeri town, the district headquarters of Kodagu. This is nothing but a cruel joke played on the people of Kodagu for merging with Karnataka after being an independent State.
Source: Rise and Fall of the Coorg State by P.T. Bopanna, Rolling Stone Publications, 2009.
Paperback copies of the book available on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.in/Rise-Fall-Coorg-State-Karnatakas/dp/9385741071
