Shreyas H S
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore
Mangalore, May 3: The Mangalore City Corporation (MCC) has appointed a lawyer to file an interlocutory application (IA) supported with an affidavit before the green bench of the Supreme Court (SC), seeking permission to draw water from Kudremukh’s Lakya Dam. This step has been mainly taken to enable Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Ltd (KIOCL) to increase the water supply to its Mangalore unit, it is said.
An official from MCC, under condition of anonymity, said, "KIOCL is in need of more water than the current availability. The company is drawing water from the corporation. This forced the company to approach the MCC requesting arrangements to draw water from the dam. Therefore, MCC separately filed an affidavit to convince the green bench of the significance of the dam that would facilitate water supply to the city which is growing at a fast pace.”
The SC in its order of January 2006, had banned all mining activities in the Kudremukh region. However, KIOCL, by an interim order of the SC, has been drawing 1.5 MGD of water through the slurry pipes to its pellet and pig iron plants located in Mangalore. Currently, KIOCL has filed a separate suit with the Apex Court to utilize maximum water from the dam and even to improvise the dam.
The MCC on June 30, 2009, passed a resolution in the council to draw water from Lakya dam after KIOCL approached the corporation to borrow water from the dam through the MCC. After this, the matter was discussed in the legislative committee recommending the then state government to direct the MCC to file an IA before the Apex Court. The state government directed the MCC to file an IA to seek water from the dam.
The MCC is now making all arrangements to file an affidavit before the green bench of the SC to seek permission to draw water from the dam. Interestingly, KIOCL initiated this move after approaching the MCC expressing that they would supply water to cater to the needs of Mangaloreans as part of CSR (corporate social responsibility) activity. Following this, the MCC sketched a plan to get 2.5 MGD water from Lakya dam through gravitational flow. The local body needs permission from the Apex Court as the dam falls under Kudremukh National Park.
MCC commissioner Ajith Kumar, speaking to Daijiworld, said, “We have appointed a lawyer, S K Bhat, to file an IA supported by an affidavit to seek permission from the Supreme Court. As the plan was chalked out by KIOCL itself, MCC showed interest in drawing water to provide for the growing population of the city. Since the supply expenses would be shouldered by KIOCL as agreed, MCC will get free water.”
“This is a veiled effort by KIOCL to keep activities alive near the dam,” said environmental activist Ashok Vardhan. “Though they refer to the free supply of water to the MCC as CSR activity, KIOCL has conflict of interest in keeping the activities alive at the dam. There is no need for the MCC to seek more water as it has already dealt with the water problems.”
Terming it a skewed plan, he said he would move the court if KIOCL's plan were to work.