Mangalore: Locals Lay Siege to MSEZ Office, Demand Removal of Mud from River
Pics: Brijesh Garodi
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (PS)
Mangalore, May 2: The controversy over MSEZ's alleged illegal filling of Gurpur river with mud to widen a road reached a climax on Wednesday May 2 after as many as 75 residents of Kulur, Melukoppala and Atrebail picketed the MSEZ office at Ashoknagar here.
Speaking to daijiworld, Gulabi, a resident of Atrebail expressed her grief and fear that her house may be washed away in case of flood due to the illegal dumping of mud into the Phalguni (Gurpur) river. For the first time in her life, she has come out of her house to fight for a cause. Along with her, 65-year-old Parameshwari too made her way towards MSEZ office to protest.
Likewise, there were as many as 75 residents of Kulur, Melukoppala and Atrabailu including women and children who laid siege to the office of MSEZ located on the third floor of MUDA's building in Ashoknagar from 4 pm to 8 pm.
Urwa police SI Gopal Kotapady intervened in the matter and assured the protestors that MSEZ MD Rajiv Banga and other police officers would be brought to the spot on Thursday May 3 at 5 pm and that action would be taken in favour of people. Only then did the protestors agreed to vacate the venue.
Earlier at 4 pm, the protestors held banners in front of the MUDA office and demanded to see the MD. As their demand went in vain, they climbed up the steps and laid siege to the MSEZ office.
Leading the protest, Kulur Melukoppala Atrebail Nagarika Horata Samiti president Dinesh B Shetty, secretary Arun D’Souza, Vidya Dinkar of Citizens' Forum for Mangalore Development, T R Bhat, DYFI’s Munir Katipalla, Dayanand Shetty, and all the protestors sternly demanded that the mud dumped by MSEZ into the Phalguni river be removed immediately.
Police personnel among whom was Urwa police inspector Ramachandra B Maledavar were less in number. Later, ACP G V Subrahmanyam and DCP Mutthuraya arrived at the venue and tried to persuade the protestors to vacate the place. However, the protestors alleged that they had been deceived by the MSEZ which had violated CRZ rules and was illegally dumping mud into the river. They demanded assurance from the MSEZ MD that the mud would be removed, until which they said the protest would not be withdrawn.
MSEZ PRO Radhakrishna Bhandarkar and legal advisor Premananda Kini’s effort to pacify the protestors too went in vain.
The protestors pointed out that the DC was silent on the issue and that MSEZ had made a false claim in the media that it had removed the mud. Only a few loads of mud were removed, they said.
Finally, after shouting slogans and laying siege for about four hours, the protestors agreed to vacate the place on condition of being addressed by the MD at 5 pm on Thursday.
Meanwhile, in a complaint to Urwa police (a copy of which is with daijiworld), Vidya Dinker stated that MSEZ MD Rajiv Banga has been 'missing' and that both MSEZ officials and the police at Urwa office had been unable to locate him. She urged the police to take quick action and find him and bring him before the protestors.
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