Mysore/Mysuru, Jan. 7 -- Warnings issued, but weak law enforcement leaves commuters exposed to repeated risks

Across several parts of Mysuru district, farmers have taken to threshing crops such as ragi, paddy and horse gram directly on asphalted roads, a practice that has raised serious safety concerns among motorists.

Traditionally, crop threshing (okkane) was carried out in designated fields where land was levelled, manure spread and threshing yards (kana) prepared.

Villagers would gather and thresh the harvest collectively, often accompanied by folk songs. Such scenes are now rare, with many farmers opting for the convenience of roadside threshing.

Threshing involves separating grain from the husk and straw after harvesting and bef...