Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (DV)
Mangaluru, Mar 27: In connection to the controversial Yettinahole project, retired IAS officer V V Bhat on Sunday March 27 said that the state government should set up a legal autonomous body named Netravati Samrakshana or Samvardhana Pradhikara consisting of experts, and that there should not be any political intereference in this body.
Addressing a press meet here, Bhat said, "There are tribunals for inter-state river disputes. About 20 years ago Ganga River Authority was formed, and there is also a Cauvery tribunal. Protection of Netravati river is our responsibility.
"The world water report stressed on the need to preserve water resources. If more dams or checkdams come to Netravati, we will hold strong protests. Dakshina Kannada zilla panchayat, Mangaluru City Corporation, institutions like NIT-K, universities, and engineering colleges in the district should make efforts to study and preserve the Netravati with a farsightedness. The government should help this study financially," he said.
He further urged the state government to take efforts to make sweet water canals and conduct more studies on preserving water.
Hydrology expert Prof S G Mayya of NIT-K said, "It had been earlier said that this project is misleading, and now this fact has been proved. It is a project not only for drinking water project but also for other uses. The government has realized that 24 TMC of water is not available in Netravati, so now it is talking of bringing water from the Sharavati river. Why is such an anti-people project being undertaken at such a huge cost? If it was only for drinking water, there would have been smaller pipelines, but looking at the massive pipelines at the project site, you can see that this project was planned with bad intentions. It is clear that they will be taking water not only from the Netravati but also from water sources in Uppinangady.
"Our politicials are doing only politics and fooling the people. The agency which has prepared the DPR (detailed project report) is completely nonsense. The agency has been set up mainly for doing this kind of work for major projects. The politicians are busy criticising each other. The present elected representatives blame the previous government, but why cannot they set it right? Instead of blaming each other, they can just stop the project. That is all we want. Presently, the case is in National Green Tribunal, and if the verdict is not in our favour we will approach the Supreme Court," he said.
Mooting the possibility of forming a separate Tulunadu state, he said, "Though we have been demanding water tribunal for Yettinahole project, the state government may not do that as it is not an inter-state dispute. Hence we may demand a separate Tulunadu state, as once a separate state is created, then we may get a separate tribunal too.
"In the city we hardly get water once in two days. There are no other water resources either. Our politicians have no voice. Government should implement a comprehensive drinking water project for the district," he urged.
"Since 1947 none of the state governments have given importance to the coastal region, especially to solving drinking water problems here. We have only got programmes of the union governments but not from the state. We should demand a separate state," Prof Mayya stressed.
Activist M G Hegde said, "We should get a comprehensive drinking water project for the district and Netravati Samrakshana Pradhikara should be formed. The government should declare coastal region as a fisheries zone. As of now only activists are involved in this struggle, but people should also join hands. If Netravati river is diverted, not only politicians but people will also be responsible, hence they should support the struggle.
"We will print and distribute 50,000 pamphlets to create awareness. We will hold a meeting in Town Hall and then a huge public meet in Nehru Maidan," he added.