Mangalore: Amarnath Shetty questions CM's motives behind Niddodi project
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (GA)
Mangalore, Aug 4: ‘I am seriously concerned about the hidden motives of chief minister Siddaramaiah who seems to be very much interested in setting up the thermal power plant at Niddodi. It looks more like a covet mission than a project undertaken for the good of the people. Even the DC does not have any information about the proposed project. I am prepared for any fight that can stop setting up of such a dangerous thermal plant,” said former minister Amarnath Shetty.
He was speaking at a press conference held at the JD (S) office here on Saturday August 3.
The people of the district have already been suffering due to the Nagarjuna power plant and if another thermal power plant comes up at Niddodi people within the radius of 60 kilometres in and around Niddodi will suffer. There is much at stake. According to the initial information we have, the government will make its move to acquire over 4,000 acres of land in at least four villages. The profile of the land that the government is angling for has fertile fields that has resources to cultivate three paddy crops and one pulse crop, apart from coconut, horticultural corps, areca, pepper and spice. So why force a project which the locals do not want and why go against the nature, questioned he.
The CM and other political leaders who are forcing the thermal plant on us should not forget the loss of face they suffered at Tadadi. It was also 4,000 mega watt thermal power project which the government wanted to force on the locals. But the intense protest by locals which was vehemently supported by the environmentalists finally succeeded and the Centra government had to scrap the idea. Similarly the proposed project at Niddodi too is a potentially dangerous and destructive proposal which should be opposed tooth and nail by everyone, he opined. “I have already written a letter to opposition leader H D Kumaraswamy about this. He has also promised to visit the place and join the protests soon. Protests committees will be set up in each of the four villages which will be heavily affected by the proposed project, he added.
He further criticised the silence of four ministers, that is, U T Khader, Ramanath Rai, Vinay Kumar Sorake and Abhayachandra Jain, who represent the coastal districts of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada in the state cabinet. They should break their stoic silence and come out with their views and join the protests if they are really concerned about the districts. They should also make efforts in convincing the CM to not to go ahead with the project, Shetty said.
JD (S) leaders Shashidhar Nayak, Umanath Karkera, Ashwin Pereira, Diwakar Shetty, Fredrick Pinto, Prithviraj Jain, Hariprasad were also present at the press conference.
The proposed project is will have deep impact on the geography and natural balance of the coast districts. Nandini and Shambhavi rivers will be affected and many small water bodies will vanish,. In fact river Nandini river will be one of the worst affected as many tributaries, in the form of small rivulets, will cease to join the river due to fragmentation and alteration of land mass. Pollution of river Shambhavi, which has a tributary running right through the land identified for the plant, is not ruled out. The establishment of this power station will have long-term negative ecological and human consequences.