An all-party meeting has called for a ‘Kodagu bandh’ on December 2 to protest against the implementation of the Kasturirangan committee report on conserving the Western Ghats.
The bandh call has been given by the Kasturirangan Varadi Virodhi Samithi which met on Sunday under the chairmanship of Madikeri MLA Appacchu Ranjan. The bandh will remain in force from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Responding to a query, Virajpet MLA K G Bopaiah said that the day of the bandh will not be changed despite the scheduled three-day Mysore zonal-level youth festival to be organised at Gandhi Maidan in Madikeri from December 2. “Let the government postpone the youth fest to the next day”, Bopaiah said according to a Deccan Herald report.
The report said Appacchu Ranjan the Samithi will approach the court to stop the implementation of Kasturirangan report.
District Congress unit President B T Pradeep, Handicraft Development Corporation President Veena Acchaiah, Zilla Panchayat Vice President Beena Bollamma, Akhila Kodava Samaja President Mathanda Monnappa, BJP district unit President Suja Kushalappa, CPI(M) district General Secretary I R Gurgaprasad, Somvarpet Block Congress President K M Lokesh, Manu Uttappa, Kalachanda Ravi Thammaiah, coffee grower Cheranda Nanda Subbiah, district Chamber of Commerce President Chidvilas and others were present.
Youth Fest Postponed
Meanwhile, in the wake of call given for district bandh, the three-day Yuva Jana Mela scheduled on December 2, will be started from December 3, said District Youth Empowerment and Sports Department Deputy Director Jayalakshmi Bayi.
Deputy Commissioner and district in-charge minister were informed of Kodagu district bandh and the postponement of the fest has been done on their directions, she said.