Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (JD)
Udupi, Aug 9: “Even though the deputy commissioner (DC) and the court had ordered to provide electricity connection to a poor family who have been without the same for several years, the Mescom has shown utter negligence in doing so. To give justice to the poor family, the Human Rights Protection foundation of Udupi has decided to file a contempt of court case against the Mescom officials,” said Dr Rabindranath Shanubhogue, president of the Human Rights Protection Foundation, in a press conference on Tuesday August 8.
He further said, “Ganesh Devadiga and Malathi Devadiga, residents of Soukur in Kundapur taluk, have experienced a lot of pain and suffering till now to get an electricity connection. Malathi's mother Subbamma lost her life in darkness and died in 2010.
“Malati was selected as a beneficiary under the 2019 'Belaku' project, and the wiring work and electricity pole were installed by the Mescom. When the work was completed and the Mescom initiated to provide electricity connection, Malathi's neighbour Vasudeva Devadiga objected that the electric wire should not pass over his land, and hence the MESCOM gave up the work of providing electricity connection to Malathi’s house.
“In 2020, when Malathi filed an application for justice to the DC, the then DC dismissed all the objections to get the electricity connection and ordered to provide the same to Malathi Devadiga's house without damaging the property of the objectors. Vasudeva, who did not agree, filed a suit in the Kundapur civil court seeking an injunction. The court rejected this petition and ordered the Mescom to go ahead and install the electricity connection. Vasudeva filed another appeal against this order in the Kundapur high court. That too was rejected by the court.
“A letter was written to the Mescom in November 2022 combining the three orders that came in favour of Malathi alleging that it has clearly violated the order of the court and DC by not giving the electricity connection due to the objection of a private individual. Even though there is an order, the Mescom AEE of Tallur is making undue delay. The family is suffering due to the negligence of the Mescom officials. There are hundreds of such cases in the district and we have submitted a report to law minister H K Patil mentioning the same. A poor family here has spent thousands of rupees for court related work. A legal battle to recover the expenditure from the Mescom officials will be initiated soon,” said Dr Ravindranath Shanubhogue.
Victims Malathi Devadiga and Ganesh Devadiga, daughter Renuka Devadiga, director of Vaikunta Baliga Law College professor Dr Nirmala Kumari, lawyer B Padmanabha Rao, trustee Ramesh Shenoy, secretary Anurag Kini, and Anil Devadiga were present.