Inchara Udupi
Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi
Udupi, May 16: Once again, the villagers led by Kalathur Janajagruti Samiti on Friday May 15 sent away officials who had come to conduct a survey for laying Nandikoor-Padur high-tension power line and tower for the ISPRL crude oil storage unit at Padur. The villagers succeeded even though the survey officials were accompanied by police.
On the orders of the deputy commissioner, Udupi tahsildar Guruprasad, DySP Vinay Nayak, Kaup circle inspector Sunil Nayak, Shirva SI, Padubidri SI Azmat Ali and over 40 police personnel accompanied 15 officials including ISPRL executive Vijayanand and Linde company officials to conduct survey in five areas.
As soon as news of their arrival spread, a group led by gram panchayat union president and Congressman Dr Deviprasad Shetty, ZP member Arun Shetty Padur, Kalathur Janajagruti convener Lawrence Ferndandes, Payyar Shivaram Shetty, Nityanand R Shetty, Praveen Kumar and Diwakar D Shetty arrived at the spot and squarely refused to allow the officials any scope to conduct the survey.
The situation turned chaotic as the survey officials, police personnel, activists and locals engaged in a verbal battle. The villagers made it clear that they would not allow any survey until their demands were met.
Dr Deviprasad Shetty of Congress called up urban development minister and district incharge Vinay Kumar Sorake and informed him about the developments. Sorake then spoke to the tahsildar and took him to task for attempting such a survey when gram panchayat elections were just days away. He ordered the tahsildar to first fulfill the people's demands and then undertake the survey. With this, the entire team of officials and police personnel turned to leave.
At that moment, deputy commissioner R Vishal called up the tahsildar and the police officials on phone and urged them to somehow finish the survey and only then return. Accordingly, the officials again came forward to conduct the survey, and were once again stopped by the locals. The atmosphere turned tense as both groups engaged in heated exchange of words.
Meanwhile, Udupi superintendent of police (SP) Annamalai on receiving information about the people's protest arrived at the spot and tried to control the situation. But the protestors refused to budge from their stand, and insisted that the survey would not be allowed till their demands were met.
SP Annamalai then held discussions with the tahsildar, the survey officials and the protesting villagers, and assured that a suitable solution would be found to break the deadlock. After his assurance, the locals agreed to withdraw the protest.
The locals have been demanding that owners through whose land the high-tension power line would pass should be given compensation four times the market value of the land, and it should be ensured that no problems relating to conversion arise. Also, the survey should be done only after providing complete information to the locals.
On Saturday May 16, a meeting will be convened in the presence of the deputy commissioner, the company officials, survey officias, locals, activists and other parties involved to resolve the issue.