MSEZ issue: Hunger strike enters third day

[email protected] (CD Network)
March 3, 2011

ZP1

Mangalore, March 3: Dakshina Kannada district unit of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha on Thursday expressed its support to the cause of the job seekers in the project displaced families of the Mangalore Special Economic Zone, whose indefinite hunger strike has entered the third day.

Kishore Kumar, the district unit chief of the BJYM along with his few associates joined hundreds of protesters, who have camped in front of the office of Deputy Commissioner here since Tuesday.

Speaking on the occasion he said that BJYM is ready to extend its full support to the struggle of the displaced people. “We have been opposing the anti-people activities of MSEZ right from the beginning and now we have decided to intensify our fight against it” he said.

On Wednesday the district unit of Kannada Rakshana Vedike had joined the protesters, who are exerting pressure on the government and the company to fulfill the promise of providing suitable jobs to the trained youth belonging to project displaced families.

Around two hundred youth, belonging to MSEZ affected families, who have already completed training and those who are being trained at the Karnataka Polytechnic (KPT) are taking part in the protest.

Currently, 186 candidates have completed the training imparted by the company, while 188 other candidates are still undergoing job training. Most of them had stopped their education half way through following the company's assurance that they would get high salary jobs if they passed out of training classes.

Speaking on the occasion, R N Shetty Kalavaru, who is representing the affected people, said that they will welcome any organisation or person willing to join the protest.

One of the protesters said that they will continue their protest until a favourable decision is taken by the district administration with regard to their demands. “We will not go back till the government makes arrangements to provide jobs to all those members affected families, who have completed the training and those who are undergoing training at the Karnataka Polytechnic, either in MRPL or in ONGC,” he said.

The protesters accused the MSEZ officials of giving empty promises of providing jobs in MRPL or ONGC during the land acquisition.

Fast unto death

The protesters, who are holding the daylong hunger strike, have warned the authorities concerned that they will launch a fast unto death strike if their demands are not met within three days of the given deadline, i.e., Thursday evening.

“We are now holding daylong hunger strike to bring the issue to the notice of Deputy Commissioner Subodh Yadav. We will intensify our protest and fast unto death, if the district administration does not take initiatives to solve our problems within Thursday evening,” said Narayana, another representative of the protesters.


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News Network
May 20,2020

Mangaluru, May 20: Karnataka Government has banned fishing through mechanised and traditional boats using inboard or outboard engines of over 10 HP capacity using nets or other means, officials sources said on Wednesday.

As per the notification issued under the Karnataka Marine Fishing (Regulation) Act 1986, all fishing activities were banned from June One to July 31.

However, the ban is not applicable for fishing through traditional and country boats which use engines of less than 10 HP capacity, according to a release issued here on Wednesday.

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News Network
April 26,2020

Bengaluru, Apr 26: Two businessmen brothers, Tajammul Pasha and Muzammil Pasha, in Karnataka's Kolar district have set out to help people in need amid the lockdown over the COVID-19 pandemic by selling their land for Rs 25 lakh.

On seeing daily wage labourers and their families in Kolar suffer during the lockdown, the brothers said they decided to sell their land and use the money to buy essentials and food grain for a large number of poor people.

The brothers also bought oil and cereals with the money. Then they set up a tent next to their house and started a community kitchen to make food for labourers and homeless people.

"Our parents died early. When we shifted to our maternal grandmother's place at  Kolar, people from communities, Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims helped us survive without any religious bias," said Tajammul Pasha, visibly emotional.

The Pasha brothers are into banana cultivation and real estate. Tajammul was five and his sibling Muzammil was three when they lost their parents. They had to move from Chickbalapor to Kollar, where their grandmother lived.

"We were brought up in poverty. We survived because of the support of people of all communities and religions. We have signed the society agreement bond and handed it over to our friend who purchased our site and gave the money," the brothers said.

Once the lockdown ends and the land registrar's office opens, the remaining steps to transfer the land will be completed, they said.

So far the two brothers have supplied food grain, oil, sugar and other essentials to over 3,000 families. They have also given hand sanitizers and masks to the poor.

The Kolar administration has issued passes to their volunteers so that they can help in this difficult time.

The number of coronavirus cases in India has increased to 24,506, including 775 deaths, the Home Ministry said today, adding that 1,429 cases and 57 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours.

Amid a countrywide lockdown to check the spread of the highly contagious illness, which began on March 25, the government last night issued an order to allow neighbourhood shops to remain open with conditions; malls across India continue to remain shut.

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News Network
February 29,2020

Udupi, Feb 29: Senior Congress leader and Udupi’s crackers trader K Krishnaraja Saralaya allegedly committed suicide by jumping into a well outside his house at Paniyadi on Saturday.

He was 87, Krishnaraja was leading a solitary life. It is suspected that he ended his life ''due to mental agony''.

He is survived by two daughters. One is settled in Australia another is in Bengaluru. Saralaya had also served as President of Udupi Town Co-operative Society. The police visited the spot .

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