News and pics: Inchara Udupi
Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (EP/SP)
Udupi, Aug 22: Officials of mines and geology department, who had arrived at Padoor in the taluk in the company of some other individuals in relation to the proposal to install a stone crusher unit there, were surrounded and forcibly sent back by villagers. The incident occurred on Thursday August 21.
Niranjan, an official of the department of mines and geology, along with some other staff, had visited the said village for undertaking survey for the site where the stone crusher unit is proposed to be set up. He was accompanied by district president of 'Jaya Karnataka', Janani Diwakar, who had in his possession, a notification issued by the deputy commissioner of the district, authorizing the concerned to install a unit to crush broken pieces of stone generated out of carving out a cavern underground for setting up a crude oil storage facility at Padoor. The survey was to cover survey numbers 112-1, 112-6, and 29 in Padoor.
The officials who were taken aback by the high level of resistance they encountered at the spot, contacted policemen of Shirva station. There were heated exchange of words between villagers, government officials and
certain individuals relating to the controversy, which gave rise to tense situation. Zilla panchayat
member, Arun Shetty Padoor, Shirva police inspector, Ashok P, and Kaup police circle inspector, Sunil Y Naik, spoke to the protesters and succeeded in easing the situation.
Deputy commissioner of the district had notified two areas in Padoor in Majoor as safe for the installation of stone crusher units, even though about 60 households, two mosques, a church, and school are located within its vicinity. ZP member, Arun Shetty Padoor, pointing out to this aspect, expressed his readiness to resist the move to start stone crusher unit at the spot at any cost, with the support of villagers.
Mines and geology department official, Niranjan, concurred that there are mosques and about 50 houses within a radius of 500 metres from the spot chosen for the stone crusher unit. He said he will send a report to the district deputy commissioner, informing him of the resistance of the villagers towards the proposed unit.
The villagers, on sighting Janani Diwaker Shetty of 'Jaya Karnataka' in the company of the officials, raised slogans against his organization. Shetty clarified that he had come there on behalf of a person named Peter D'Souza, who had shown interest in acquiring land in Padoor.
Zilla panchayat member, Arun Shetty Padoor, Majoor grama panchayat president, Amritakshi Shetty, former president, Subrahmanya Aithal, former vice president, Prakash Palame, Saraswathi Palame, Saraswathi
Bhandari, panchayat development officer, Ramesh, Kaup area former BJP president Vijay Karkera, Narayana Shetty Valadooru, Ajith Shetty, Prasad Valadooru, Krishna Rao, Kalathooru Janajagruthi Committee's Nithyananda Kalathur, Stany Corda, Kaup village panchayat president, Yogish Rai, JDS youth unit district president, Sachin Shetty, Basadi trustee, Sujan Kumar Jain and gram panchayat members participated in the protest.