Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (SP)

Mangalore, Sep 23: Former MLA K Vijaykumar Shetty and opposition leader in the City Corporation, Harinath, said that the Congress Party vehemently opposes the proposal of the City Corporation to supply water to Nagarjuna Power Plant at Nandikoor near Padubidri.

Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday September 22, they said that the party will be holding a protest in front of the office of the Dakshina Kannada district deputy commissioner at 10.30 am on Saturday September 26, against the above move.

"The City Corporation is finding it hard to even supply drinking water to 60 wards in the city at present. Under these circumstances, it is strange that it has taken an initiative to supply huge quantity of water to Nagarjuna Power Project. We condemn this move," they asserted.

The power plant requires 24 lac litres (five mgd) of water daily. If the Corporation goes ahead with its proposal, either because of the pressure being exerted by minister K S Eshwarappa or under some lure, the people of the city will face acute shortage of water in future, the leaders said.

Regarding the Dharmaraj controversy, they said that during the Congress regime earlier, only two three road concreting projects were being executed at any time within the Corporation limits. However, presently, about 25 road widening and concreting works are being executed. Entrusting all these projects to consulting engineer Dharmaraj alone, is not justified. The projects could have been distributed among four or five different agencies, opined former mayor, Shashidhar Hegde.

Congress leaders Suresh Ballal, A Suresh Shetty, Abdul Salim, T K Sudhir, corporators Navin R D'Souza, D K Ashok Kumar, youth Congress leader Arun Coelho and others were present.