NGOs oppose Netravati diversion

[email protected] (The Hindu)
March 22, 2011

river

Mangalore, March 22: Karavali Mahila Jagruti Vedike, Krishikara Vedike-Karnataka, Dakshina Kannada Parisaraskthara Okkoota, Nagarika Seva Trust and Dalit Abhivruddhi Samiti of Belthagady taluk have opposed the State Government's move to divert the west-flowing Netravati to provide water to Bangalore Urban and Bangalore Rural, Tumkur, Chickballapur, Kolar and Chitradurga districts.

In a statement issued here on Monday, they said the project would affect farmers, fishermen and people of Mangalore (who depended on the river for drinking water), besides destroying evergreen forests.

It would also affect fish breeding in the sea.

The project envisaged formation of two canals at 850 metres and 925 metres above the sea level in the Western Ghats – one from Naravi Gadikallu Gudda and another from Galibidu in Madikeri. The project to form canals, one passing through the Yelaniru area and the other through the Shiradi area creating 38 artificial lakes en route, was nothing short of a misadventure, they said.

Machines and equipment used for the project would destroy the flora and fauna of the Western Ghats, already under huge pressure owing to development activities.

They sought to know why the State Government had not taken note of the Centre forming a panel of experts headed by ecological scientist Madhav Gadgil and recommendations of its own task force for protection of the ghats.

Noting that the State Government had earmarked Rs. 200 crore and Union Minister for Law M. Veerappa Moily had promised Rs. 400 crore for the project, they said this development had led to anxiety among the people.

Experts had proved that the project was unscientific, anti-environment and impractical and that there were many pragmatic alternatives, they said.

Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa had announced the project in his February 24 budget speech. Minister for Higher Education V.S. Acharya on Sunday defended it saying only 10 per cent of the water flowing into the sea would be diverted, they said.

They alleged that the BJP and the Congress, which overtly opposed the project, were not against it.

They urged the Government to conduct a field visit for the legislators of parched districts to show why the project could not be undertaken. The project estimation now was Rs. 70,000 crore and it could go beyond Rs. 2 lakh crore when it was implemented.

Effective alternatives could be provided for a mere Rs. 500 crore to Rs. 1,000 crore, they said.


Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
May 13,2020

Bengaluru, May 13: 26 new covid-19 cases have been reported in Karnataka taking the total cases to 951. This includes 32 COVID deaths, one non-COVID death and 442 discharges.

The new cases include eleven cases from Bidar - all of whom are from the containment zone - , four from Hassan, two each from Davangere, Kalaburgi, Vijayapura and Uttara Kannada and one each from Bengaluru Urban, Ballari and Dakshina Kannada.

All the cases reported in Hassan and Vijayapura are with a travel history to Mumbai. In Bengaluru Urban, a nurse from a designated COVID hospital who was under quarantine has tested positive.

32nd death

The latest death reported was that of a 60-year-old man in Kalaburgi district. The deceased man from a containment zone was brought dead on May 11 to a designated hospital in Kalaburagi, and he has tested positive for COVID-19, it said.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
February 28,2020

Feb 28: The Supreme Court on Friday granted more time to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file a counter affidavit on a petition filed by Karnataka BJP leader and mining baron Gali Janardhana Reddy seeking permanent relaxation on his bail condition to allow him to visit Karnataka's Bellari and Kadapa in Andhra Pradesh.

A bench of Justices Arun Mishra and Indira Banerjee listed the matter for further hearing on March 16 after the CBI sought more time to do file the counter affidavit.

Earlier, the apex court had issued a notice to the CBI and sought its response on the plea.

Last year, the Court had allowed Reddy to visit the Ballari district for a period of two weeks to meet his father-in-law, who the petitioner claimed had suffered a stroke and also allowed him to move a bail modification application seeking permanent relaxation of his bail condition.

In January 2015, the Supreme Court had granted bail to Reddy in an illegal mining case involving Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC) on the condition that he will not visit any of the mining zones in Karnataka or Andhra Pradesh.

By the time he was granted bail, Reddy had already spent over three years in prison.

Reddy and his brother-in-law BV Srinivas Reddy, who was the Managing Director of OMC, were arrested by the CBI on September 5, 2011.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
January 29,2020

Hubballi, Jan 29: Thousands of people took part in a protest march against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) causing traffic snarl in the city on Tuesday.

Various Dalit organisations had taken part in protest organised under the aegis of the 'Samvidana Samrakshana Samiti'.

KPCC members including MLA Prasad Abbayya, former Minister A.M. Hindasageri and office-bearers also joined the protest.

They congregated first at B.R. Ambedkar Statue near the Head Post Office in Hubballi. Holding flags and banners, the protesters marched from Ambedkar statue to mini Vidhana Soudha covering Lamington Road, Sangolli Rayanna Statue and Kittur Chennamma Circle.

Mr. Abbayya said that despite opposition from various minority communities and progressive organisations, the Union government had not changed its stand. The opposition would continue till the new law was repealed, he said.

He termed the CAA as a draconian law that meted out injustice to not only Muslims but also to Hindus. “Giving citizenship based on documents is highly condemnable. At a time when the country is undergoing an economic slowdown, it is highly condemnable that thousands of crores are being spent to enact the law. The Union government should immediately abolish the new law,” he said.

They submitted a memorandum to the Hubballi tahsildar that was addressed to the President, seeking abolition of the new law. In view of the march, the police had diverted traffic and had made elaborate bandobast.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.