Arun Uppinangady
Daijiworld Media Network - Puttur
Puttur, Oct 12: The four-day padayatra being undertaken by the district BJP led by MP Nalin Kumar Kateel against the Yettinaholereached Uppinangady here on Sunday October 11 night. The padayatra began on Saturday October 10 from Mangaluru and will culminate at Yettinahole on Tuesday October 13.
Addressing a public meet at Uppinangady bus stand, Nalin Kumar said, "We will continue our protest till the state government drops the Yettinahole project. We will fully support any protest that is against the project.
"We are not opposed to giving water to other districts, but instead of from Yettinahole, water could be lifted from Varahi or Sharavati river, or, let there be a facility installed to convert sea water into drinking water as in Saudi Arabia. After executing the Yettinahole project, the government is also stealthily planning to divert the Kumaradhara river too. The Green Tribunal in Chennai has ordered a stay on the project, but the government has not respected the order.
"If the project gets completed, all the electricity in the state would be needed to run it. Even the hydroelectricity projects in the state would be affected. Despite being aware of all these problems, invisible hands are working behind the state government to get execute the project. The state has still not informed the centre or the union environment ministry about the project," he added.
"The Yettinahole project is unscientific and will not even yield 4 TMC of water. It will be an injustice to the people of both Dakshina Kannada and other districts. If this project is implemented, instead of the getting water, the sand mafia in Kolar and other districts will get a boost. There were irregularities in the tender process, which should be investigated and the guilty punished. This project should be scrapped immediately, if not, the entire Dakshina Kannada will see a protest as intense as that over Kalasa-Banduri issue," he warned.
"The state government never made any effort to inform the people about the Yettinahole project. The government should scrap the project and convene a meeting with the public in the presence of experts. Voice against the project was first raised in Uppinangady and Dr Niranjan Rai and his team were responsible for it and deserve all praise. I urge everyone to support the bandh against the project on October 15," Nalin Kumar said.
Earlier, the BJP leaders and workers participating in the padayatra were accorded a rousing welcome near the Kumaradhara bridge by members of Anti Netravati River Diversion Committee led by Dr Niranjan Rai.
District BJP president Pratap Simha Nayak, former minister Krishna J Palemar, Padmanabha Kottary, Rukmayya Poojary, Monappa Bhandary, Capt Ganesh Karnik and many others were present.