Moodbidri: Officials visit Niddodi power plant site - locals resent
Daijiworld Media Network – Moodbidri (SP)
Moodbidri, May 17: The villagers of surrounding areas gathered in large numbers and took to task officials of several departments, who had arrived at Kolattar in Niddodi village on Thursday May 16. The team of officials was here on a spot inspect and assessment to consider practicability of setting up thermal power plant at Niddodi.
The proposed thermal power plant will have thrice the capacity of the power plant set up by Udupi Power Corporation Ltd at Nandikoor, Udupi district. The project, which threatens to pollute the environment and make life for the villagers miserable, proposes to acquire vast expanse of agricultural fields here.
The team led by M S Puri, officer of Central Electrical Authority, comprised assistant commissioner, Sadashiva Prabhu, KPTCL chief engineer, Lakshman, Mescom executive engineer, Jagadish, KIADB land acquisition officer, Nagaraj, and some others. As soon as the people came to know that the officials were gathering details, they came on the spot, giving rise to tension. The people stopped the cars of the officials, placed stones across the road, and set up temporary blockade.
The officials tried to divert the ire of the villagers by claiming that they were in the village to measure the distance between the western ghats, railway line, and Mangalore port, and not to assess the desirability of the power plant. They said they could not keep the villagers informed in advance, as the village accountant was not in station. Puri said the team was here to inspect the agricultural lands and geographical features. He said the departments concerned will take the people into confidence before taking any decision.
Convener of Marubhoomi Horata Samiti, Kiran Manjanabail, said that it was wrong on the part of the officials to visit the village all of a sudden without prior intimation. Zilla panchayat member, Janardan Gowda, Kallamundkoor gram panchayat president, Joachim Correa, former president, Poovappa Gowda, and others were present. A petition was handed over to M S Puri, seeking to abandon the plan to set up power plant here.
MLA, Abhaychandra Jain, who came to know about the team’s visit, said that the plant was the brainchild of former state chief minister, Jagadish Shettar, who had given clearance for the same. He said he had conveyed his displeasure about the visit of the team without his knowledge to the district deputy commissioner, and asked him not to allow the team to proceed in the matter. He said he will not allow this plant to be set up in Niddodi.