Media Release
Udupi, Apr 18: The Jayashreekrishna Parisara Premi Samiti has decided to stage a protest in Mangaluru in the last week of May, demanding immediate action from the government to prevent the pollution of the Netravati River, which serves as a vital source of drinking water for Bantwal and Mangaluru.
Addressing a press conference, the committee’s founder-president, Thonse Jayakrishna A. Shetty, stated that a delegation would soon meet the Karnataka Minister for Forest, Ecology and Environment, Eshwar Khandre, urging swift action. “We will present our demand to the government, seeking protection of the rivers flowing through the twin districts,” he said.
He further mentioned that a symbolic protest would be organised soon to pressure the government into ensuring the Netravati River remains unpolluted. The committee also intends to focus on maintaining cleanliness along the coastal areas of the twin districts.
Speaking about the commitees earlier demand of providing 24-hour electricity to twin districts, The state government has responded positively to the committee’s earlier demand that the thermal power plant operated by Adani in Udupi district should supply 24/7 electricity to the undivided Dakshina Kannada district.
The plant, which has been operational in Padubidri since 2010, currently produces 1300 megawatts of electricity, of which around 45% is supplied to the capital city, Bengaluru. While the committee has no objection to this, they raised concerns over the inconsistent power supply to the districts where the plant is located. Their primary demand is to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply to the twin districts before diverting power to other areas.
In support of their demand, the committee has held discussions with speaker U T Khader, deputy chief minister D K Shivakumar, chief secretary Shalini Rajneesh, and former chief ministers Veerappa Moily and Sadananda Gowda. Speaker U T Khader has reportedly written to the Minister for Energy regarding this issue.
Committee members including president Nityananda Kotyan, vice presidents K P, Jagadeesh Adhikari and Arun Prakash Shetty, and District secretary Surendra Mendon were present at the press conference.