Pics: Inchara Digitals
Daijiworld Media Network—Udupi (RD/CN)

Udupi, Jun 20: The state higher education and district-in-charge minister Dr V S Acharya visited the sea erosion prone areas of Udyavar, Padukare, Kanakoda, and Katpady here on Sunday June 19.

Addressing media persons, Dr Acharya said that the state government had instructed the district administration to carry out work on building a temporary barrier at a cost of Rs 10 lac in vulnerable areas.

“The work in this regard has already begun.  The state has an ambitious project of building sea walls along the coast at a cost of Rs 980 crore. The first phase of work will begin from Ullal in Mangalore and be completed by 2014. By 2018, the entire coast of Karnataka will be secured with a sea wall,” he added.

About the claim of the Congress leaders that they are not aware of any protective wall proposals having been sent by the state government to the centre, Acharya asked them to stop blame game, and cooperate with the state in finding a solution to the problems of locals. He claimed that besides sending proposal to the centre twice, delegation of the state had met the union ministers personally to press for early sanction of the project.

MLA Lalaji R Mendon, ZP president Katpady Shankar Poojary, TP member Ganesh Kumar, Udyavar gram panchayt president Prema Margaret, BJP president Kutyar Naveen Shetty, Yuva Morcha president Santosh Kumar Bolje, fisheries and port officer T S Rathod, and contractor Kishore Kumar Gurme were present on the occasion.