Bantwal: Taking away water similar to snatching right to live: Swamiji

Mounesh Vishwakarma
Pics: Kishore Peraje
Daijiworld Media Network – Bantwal (EP)

Bantwal, Jan 15: "Snatching away people's right to water is similar to snatching away their right to live. Netravati river diversion project will lead to destruction of the river and of the lives of people in the coastal region. In this respect, the people of the district should be prepared for a campaign to facilitate life in the area," said Sri Vidyaprasannateertha Swamiji of Subrahmanya Math.

The swamiji spoke after launching a district-wide protest by Jeevanadi – Netravati protection committee under the slogan ‘Etthinahole Yojane Virodhisi, Nadi Ulisi, Jeevasankula Rakshisi’ on Tuesday, January 14 in front of Bantwal Sri Thirumala Venkatramana temple after worship of the river.

“The damaging of natural resources amounts to invitation for destruction. No human being, nature or God will tolerate interference with nature. Leave the environment alone. Government should take steps to give life rather than snatching it. It is a question of life and death. All the people in the region should support this struggle”, he said.

M G Hegde, chief of protest committee said that the project was an excuse for corruption. “It is a project which gives rise to corruption. With it the river water will dry up and the pockets of corrupt officials and politicians will be filled. Only underground pipes will go to Kolar”, he said.

Professor S G Mayya gave technical details of the project and said that it is a bad project. “Such a project cannot be successful in any part of the world. He expressed surprise at the silence of elected representatives at the project which is being prepared without research, survey and study of its pros and cons. People are still in slumber. While there is scarcity of drinking water here, the project of diverting the source of water is unscientific and is a technical failure. Unified efforts are required to get it stopped”, he said.

Senior author Erya Laxminarayana Alva presided over the programme. Modankapu church parish priest Maxim Noronha led the prayer. Vasanthi Chandappa, president of town municipal council, Rohitaksha Rai, Purushothama, Mamatha Gatti, Padmashekar Jain, Manur Laxmana Kamath, Nemiraja Shetty, Mayilappa Salian, Harikrishna Bantwal, Pius Rodrigues, Vasu Poojary, Praveen B., Abbas Ali, Naizil Pereira, P V Mohan, Vasudeva Boloor, Yogish Jeppu, Dinesh Holla, Suresh Shetty, Richard Menezes, Badruddin, Niranjan Rai, Uttam Kumar, Denis D’ Silva and others were present.

Committee president, former MLA Vijaya Kumar welcomed. Hussain Katipalla proposed vote of thanks.

Sri Vidyaprasannateertha Swamiji has called upon people to protest giving up reservations though the nature of the people here is mild. He said that birds and animals also have silently protested against the proposed project.