Silvester D'Souza
Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapura
Kundapura, Feb 25: Hundreds of children, women and citizens who participated in the protests near the Panjurli Todu bridge demanded that the Panjurli Todu be developed to protect people from infectious diseases.
They warned of continuing with their protests until the people's representatives or senior officials came to the place and gave an assurance about the commencement of work.
Kundapura Tahsildar Shobhalakshmi, who arrived then held a telephonic conversation with the officials of the department concerned regarding the grants earmarked for the development of Panjurli Todu, and then discussed the issues with the protestors.
Environmentalist women drew the attention of the Tahsildar to the local problems and the allocation made by the previous government amounting to millions to rupees for the development of Panjurli Todu in Dodahitlu environment of Gangolli village.
"The grants are lying unused. The stench of garbage in Panjurli drain is also affecting people's lives. Water flowing through the main drains of Gangolli village joins the river through this drain," environmentalists said. They said that such an important drain had now turned into a garbage dump.
The amount of wastes in the drains has risen and the stench has disturbed the locals. In addition, children and the elderly who are exposed to mosquitoes are living in fear of contracting infectious diseases.
Chemical and pharmaceutical wastes of hospital, plastic and rotten animals besides other toxic chemical wastes are also being dumped into this drain which is causing destruction of fish species in Panchgangavali river.
For several years, the local government, parliamentarians, MLAs and village councils have been petitioning the local administration, parliamentarians, MLAs and village councils calling for the development of sewerage. Locals have expressed their displeasure that the unreleased grants have not been used due to the official apathy and negligence of people's representatives.
Tahsildar Shobhalakshmi, who received the memorandum from the locals about the development of the Panjurli drain, spoke to the department officials concerned about the development of the drain and said she had issued instructions to start the work.
Trouble for BJP mandal president
An incident where BJP Byndoor mandal president Deepak Kumar Shetty was taken to task by the locals happened when he visited the Tahsildar's office. Sewerage development work had not been done for so many years since the grants were released.
Gangolli Gram Panchayat PDO Umashankar, Gangolli police station deputy Inspector (Investigation) Basavaraj, Panjurli Temple Moktesar G Purushottama Arkati, locals Souparnika Basava Kharvi, Surendra Kharvi, Saku Udaya, Naveen Gangolli, Yashwant Gangolli, Dilip Kharvi, Anil Salian, Narasimha Khar. V G N Satish Kharvi, Venkatesh, Gangolli Gramam member B Ganesh Shenai, Yashodha Pujari, Shakuntala Kharvi, Lalitha Pujari, Manjuraj, Ganesh and Sunita among others were present.