Pics: Umesh Marpalli
Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (HB)
Udupi, Mar 19: The villagers of 38 Kalathur, Chara, Nalkur situated along Udupi-Karkala border on Saturday March 19 held a massive protest against the installation of a stone crusher unit in Kalathur.
The villagers said that the dust from the crusher unit would pollute the air and also the Sita river which is their source of water.
"Jomluteertha here is a tourist place. Now this area is under threat due to installation of the stone crusher unit," the protestors.
It is said that Naveen Andyanthaya, member of Hebri panchayat, purchased one-and-a half acres of land for setting up a crushing unit at Kalathur. A proposal has been sent to all the departments concerned seeking permission to run the unit. The forest department is planning to have a plantation at the same place, sources said.
According to Kempa Naik, there are 100 houses situated within 150 meters from that spot. Most of the families depend on plantation, agriculture and so on. A Google survey has also been done by the mining department officers. A cashew factory is around 50 meters away from the area, which will also get damaged, the villagers said, adding that once the crusher was in operation, around 300 acres of local fertile land would be affected.
Naik also alleged that the land owner had provided wrong information to the government officials at the time of the survey.
There was a crusher unit which ran for six years without a licence at Chara panchayat. After a lot of effort by the villagers it stopped operating.
"Farmers have planted pineapple crops in 15 acres of land. If crushing work starts, then fertility of the land will gradually decrease," the villagers said.
Former village panchayat member, Prasanna Kumar informed media persons that most of the families living there belong to scheduled tribes. "This crusher will harm wildlife too. Groundwater level will come down due to pollution. Naveen Andyanthaya did not get a no objection certificate (NOC) from the forest department," he alleged.
The villagers of these three panchayats have been trying hard to stop the installation of this unit from three months.
Prashant Kamat, Vishwanath Salian, Raghu Naik and others were present.