Condemning what they termed as stepmotherly treatment of Karnataka by the Union government, members of the Mahadayi Kalasa-Banduri Horata Samiti staged a protest outside Union Minister Pralhad Joshi’s office in Hubballi on Saturday and courted arrest.

The protestors urged the Centre to expedite the clearances required for the Kalasa-Banduri drinking water project.

They criticised the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for returning the Karnataka government’s proposal for the project, citing the pending court case, objections raised by the Goa government and other reasons.

They alleged that Mr. Joshi and MPs from Karnataka had failed to secure the statutory clearances needed for the implementation of the project by addressing the technical and administrative hurdles.

The protesters also criticised the State government, alleging that it was delaying the project by shifting the responsibility to the Centre instead of taking effective steps to move it forward.

During the protest, they raised slogans demanding implementation of the project and urged the governments to ensure that water from the Mahadayi river is diverted to the Malaprabha basin to address the drinking water needs of north Karnataka.

The protesters demanded the project be implemented without further delay, saying it was essential to provide a long-term solution to the region’s drinking water shortage.

As they subsequently tried to enter the Minister’s office, the police took them into preventive custody and were released later.