B A Samvartha/The Hindu

Mangalore, May 29: The Kudubi tribal people at Kudubi Padvau village in Mangalore taluk have alleged that contractors executing earthwork for the Mangalore Special Economic Zone Ltd. (MSEZ) are dumping truckloads of soil next to their houses.

The contractors have been dumping soil outside the land acquired by the company. This has continued despite the people lodging a complaint with Deputy Commissioner V. Ponnuraj.

In a letter to Mr. Ponnuraj on May 19, the tribal people sought an end to this practice. The dumping of soil would block the flow of water in the area and the houses would be flooded during the monsoon, they said. Devaki, a resident of the village, told The Hindu that the soil-dumping was witnessed as recently as on May 23and added that the people submitted a memorandum to Mr. Ponnuraj subsequently. On last Sunday and Monday, when the soil was being left there, Devaki said, her mother Shyamala opposed it. Her neighbour Kalyani also claimed to have taken objection to the contractors’ action. She was told by the contractors then that roads were being laid for the Kudubi people. “I told them that there was no need for any road for us, for we have walked without roads all these years. But they continued to work,” she said.

Chennappa, a resident of Kudubi-Padvau, said it looked as though the company was planning to acquire some more land by making people believe that roads were being laid there. Mr. Ponnuraj told The Hindu that he had sent a team of officials on Monday to ascertain whether the dumping of soil would cause flooding of houses in the area. “The report is awaited,” he added.