Bantwal: MSEZ Ongoing Jack-well Works at Sarapady Causes Uncertainty to  Peasants

Mounesh Vishwakarma
Daijiworld Media Network – Bantwal (RD/CN)

Bantwal, Jan 7: One wonders whether it’s Bellary or Bantwal..?  One doubts while on visit to Sarapady neighbourhood here.  A major ongoing works  of Mangalore Special Economic Zone (MSEZ) on the bank of Netravati River at Sarapady using nature resources in the guise of development indeed pushes the local residents into uncertainty.

The mega industries are coming up in remote villages by acquiring fertile farmlands, with the assurances of employment to locals, developing the region without causing destruction to nature’s resources.  No sooner the industries takes foothold in the region, it makes the best of their interest in exploiting the local nature’s resources for their own growth.  Such cases are many in the undivided Dakshina Kannada district.

A M R Power set up its plant in Shamboor, near here for generating electricity by offering similar assurances to local villagers.  The locals who have sacrificed their lands had to run pillar to post to get their compensation, many houses were damaged by exploding boulders, the heavy trucks extensively damaged the vital rural roads, and many people have died in river.  Meanwhile, the same locals got another shock by the ongoing works by Mangalore Refineries and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL).  It has fully damaged the key rural roads while the locals had to protest in order to restore the roads, all this they had to undergo for sacrificing their farmlands for mega industries.

In a latest development, the locals had to face similar issue, due to the ongoing works of MRPL, which is underway in the neighbourhood without much publicity.

What’s about this ongoing project?

MSEZ needs water from Netravati River, while the works of a giant jack-well is underway at Biyapade, near Perla, here.  The work is going on in an acre plot, from eyeshot distance from AMR Power project in Shamboor.  The trenches are laid to lay the pillars.  Over twenty labourers and 2 earthmovers are working at the site, are working at the site risking their lives.  The supervisor at the site informed that a jack-well will be erected in 2 years time.

Locals lack information on project:

The project site is located just half-a-furlong away from the bank of Netravati River, away from main road linking Sarapady.  A dirt road has been developed from the main road to the project site.  The locals have no basic information about the project, while the contractor urges the locals to seek information from MSEZ authorities.  The locals wonder why the project is underway secretly.

Local gram panchayat opposed:

Sarapady gram panchayat taken a decision in the general body meeting to urge MSEZ to shelve the ongoing jack-well works and was intimated to the latter, but they did not cared.  MRPL has been supplying water to Mangalore city already, if MSEZ also draws water from Netravati River, the farmers will have difficulty of irrigating their lands.

MRPL already draws water from Netravati River, if MSEZ also does the same, the locals find uncertainty of sustenance of farmlands.  The people’s representatives and apathy of state administration also added woes to the local farming community.