Silvester D'Souza
Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur (SP)

Kundapur, Jan 5: Former union minister and Rajya Sabha member, Oscar Fernandes, promised to hold talks about Varahi project's troubles with forest, irrigation, revenue and district in-charge minister, and to see that the ministers will be accompanied to this region to hold talks with the farmers soon. He also said that he would hold discussions on the issue with chief minister, Siddaramaiah, during the latter's visit to Karkala in connection with Mahamastakabhisheka.

He visited the protesters camping in front of Varahi Project office at Siddapur in the taluk on Sunday January 4 where indefinite protest led by the district unit of Raita Sangha is in progress, against the failure of Varahi Project officials to release water to the fields. He held talks with the affected people as well as leaders of Raita Sangha to acquaint himself with the ground realities.

Raita Sangha district president and MLC, K Pratapchandra Shetty, talking to Oscar, pointed out that even after 35 years of inception, Varahi Project is limping as far as land acquisition, getting forest department's approval for the project etc concerned. He said that the project officials have also failed to get work done through the contractors. He was of the opinion that if the officials are given leverage, the project will never be completed evenif 35 more years pass.

In the presence of his own party leaders, Shetty accused district in-charge minister, Vinay Kumar Sorake, of trying to subdue the protest of Raita Sangha. He accused Sorake of planning to crush the protest demonstration through spokespersons of another party, in spite of being an elected representative of Congress, he fumed.

He said Sorake had caused the situation in which people's representatives and government officials are involved with direct friction. 'What is the use of minister and government which do not admit the realities?' he questioned.