Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (HB) 

Udupi, Oct 19: Veteran environmentalist Salumarada Thimmakka visited the press club Brahmagiri in the city today October 19 to receive the fund collected for her.

On Sunday October 11 Udupi youngsters organized ‘Neralu-Neravu Abhiyan', a campaign to collect funds for Vriksha Mathe Thimmakka. They received a huge response from the Udupians as well as abroad.

At the press meet Avinash Kamath and team handed over the collected funds of Rs 1,78,150 by the campaign and Rs 33,000 from other sources to the renowned environmentalist and her son Umesh B which got deposited to her account directly. Avinash expects additional funds of Rs 25,000 to come in from other sources. In all, the group has collected Rs 2,11,150.

Umesh on speaking to media persons said that his mother is known to be one of the top 6 environmentalists in the state and that she has been treated as an ‘asset’ of Karnataka. From the first standard to degree, her lesson has applied from the text book. There was no green movement before independence. A fund was announced to her in the budget of the financial year 2013-14 and 2014-15, but in reality, she has no money for her medical treatment.

He also said that it is the responsibility of the state government to protect her life and her assets, the trees. She needs basic requirement in order to lead a normal life.

Salumarada said that her husband encouraged her to plant samplings and to nurture them as children, but she did not get rewarded for it. She runs her life only on a monthly allowance of Rs 500 and lives in a rented room in Bengaluru.

Her humble request is to have a maternity hospital at Hulikal village and has been appealing to the state government for the past ten years. She spares not a thought about a roof over her head.

Speaking to media persons she said, "I am not getting a favorable response from the state government. I have spent my life in nurturing countless and valuable banyan trees, while doing coolie work. I have no respect in this state as far as my noble work is concerned. I have never harmed anyone, but I just demand my basic rights."

Avinash Kamath said that he hopes and wishes that Umesh will have the responsibility to carry forward her noble work in the future."

Gururaj Sanil, Ravindra Deshmukh, Srikanth Shetty and others were present.