Mounesh Vishwakarma

Daijiworld Media Network - Bantwal

Bantwal, Jun 10: Residents of Moodupadukodi village in the Irvathur gram panchayat jurisdiction protested on Monday in front of the Gram Panchayat office against the decision to continue operations of a mechanised areca nut processing factory in Kukkerodi, which they claim operates without proper licensing.

Despite submitting a petition to halt the operations of the factory, the gram panchayat has decided to allow the factory to continue as is. Led by Irvathur Gram Panchayat member Sunandra Shetty and local leader Jayachandra Poojari, the residents raised slogans against the Gram Panchayat's decision.

Local residents have complained to the gram panchayat that the factory, which has been in operation for the past year, is causing harmful dust and noise pollution, leading to health problems for nearby residents. However, during an emergency meeting on May 27, held in violation of the Lok Sabha election code of conduct, the Gram Panchayat president Malathi, along with development officers and board members, made an illegal decision in favour of the factory, known as Kalpataru Areca Nut Processing Unit.

Protesters demanded the relocation of the factory from the residential area of Kukkerodi. The protest began at 11 AM and continued into the afternoon. Protesters insisted that the chief executive officer of Bantwal taluk panchayat come to the protest site as the gram panchayat president did not accept their petition.

Later, assistant director of the taluk panchayat Vishwanath arrived and accepted the petition. He informed the protesters that due to the current election code of conduct and ongoing court cases for and against the factory, a decision on the factory's operation would be made after further review.