Mangalore: Environmentalist Dies Fighting for Restoration of Gujjarakere 
Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network—Mangalore (RS/CN) 

Mangalore, Feb 22: An environmentalist breathed his last while promoting the cause dear to him on Monday February 22. The incident occurred while district in-charge minister Krishna J Palemar, deputy commissioner V Ponnuraj, and other officials were on a visit to Gujjarakere, a rich water source in the city near Morgan’s Gate in Jeppu.

Local environment lover Ananda Rao collapsed after a massive heart attack while he was explaining about the pond and putting forth his demands about the improvement of the water body. 
Rao, who lived near Gujjarakere, was at the forefront of the activists who have been demanding the improvement of the pond which has been abandoned for several years. 

Rao demanded that the city corporation as well as the district administration clean the pond and disconnect the drain passing through the pond so that it could become a water source for the city reeling under a water shortage.

He was shifted to a hospital soon after collapsing, but it was an unsuccessful effort to save his life. Rao’s last words to the officers were, “You people should make arrangements to clean the pond, which is of historical significance, so that our future generations will use it. I will not see it because I am an old man”.   

The pond, with its 3.80 acres land, has a historical background connected to Mangaladevi Temple. Due to the drainage water being let into the pond, it was abandoned.

During the visit, Palemar instructed the officers to take action to regain the encroached land. He also said that the water of the pond will be used for good purposes after it is cleaned and the drainage pipe is disconnected. 

The minister said that the city corporation will use Rs 99 lac for developing the pond.   He added that the encroachment was on almost one acre of the land adjoining the pond.

The city corporation did not show an interest in the pond due to the drainage water connection. But the locals allege that some people planned to encroach upon the pond and fill it with mud for leveling. But this did not happen because the locals protested through letters to the city corporation as well as the district administration.

Deputy commissioner V Ponnuraj, city corporation commissioner K N Vijayaprakash, and local corporators were present during the minister’s visit.