Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (SP)
Udupi, Dec 10: Deputy commissioner of the district, Dr M T Reju, said that it has been decided at a meeting held on Friday December 9, to instruct Udupi Power Corporation Ltd (UPCL) to address issues like seeping of saline water into underground water table, and environment pollution created by fly ash, on priority. Only after they issues are addressed, packages relating to providing basic facilities to the affected people will be discussed, he added.
A meeting, which was presided over by the deputy commissionerm was held on Friday with presidents of various gram panchayats located in the neighbourhood of UPCL thermal power plant, panchayat development officers, presidents of the zilla and taluk panchayats, and other people’s representatives.
As per the observations of a committee of technical experts which visited the areas to assess the problems created by the UPCL plant recently, a team of officials was deputed to the area. A plan to provide drinking water facility to affected villages, Santoor, Yellur and Yermal Tenka, at a cost of Rs 2.5 crore, to be executed by UPCL, had been prepared. Priliminary meeting of people’s representatives was convened on Friday towards implementation of the initial project costing one crore rupees under the said plan. The deputy commissioner said that the participants at the meeting expressed doubts about the success of the plan, unless the issue of saline water seeping into the underground water table is addressed in advance.
Reju said that UPCL has already begun the work of installing drift eliminators to address the problem of saline water. This work, which will bring down the amount of saline vapour getting released into environment by 90 percent, is expected to be completed by this month end, he explained.
Zilla panchayat president, Katapadi Shankar Poojary, wanted the company to function transparently, find a lasting solution to the problem of saline water and fly ash, and take initiatives to grow greenery in the area, apart from setting up centres in villages in the region for measuring water contamination. The gram panchayat presidents wanted UPCL to repair PWD and gram panchayat roads, which have been extensively damaged because of the project.
Taluk panchayat president, Devadas Hebbar, zilla panchayat member, Arun Shetty, presidents of Mudarangady and Palimar gram panchayats, Sunilraj Shetty and Navinchandra Suvarna, and others were present.