The Hindu

• Section 144 clamped in one-kilometre radius of the site
• Work for new plant starts under police protection
• Former MLA calls it an anti-democratic move

Udupi, Nov 5: Former MLA U R Sabhapathi, president of the Udupi Taluk Panchayat Shyamala Sudhakar, former chairman of the Udupi Urban Development Authority A. Nagaraj, president of Alevoor Gram Panchayat Harish Sherigar and 17 other persons, who were opposing the setting up of a scientific garbage disposal plant at Alevoor, were arrested on Saturday. They were later released.

As a precautionary measure, the district administration has clamped Section 144 in a one-km radius of the project site, which will be in force till 5 pm on Monday. Shopkeepers in Alevoor downed their shutters in protest against the new plant.

Work on the plant started amidst heavy police presence. Nearly 150 police personnel including Assistant Superintendent of Police Satish Kumar, four Circle Police Inspectors, five Sub-Inspectors, 15 Assistant Sub-Inspectors, one platoon of KSRP and two battalions of the District Armed Reserve Constabulary were present on the project site.

As many as 65 workers, two JCBs and five lorries have been pressed into service for the commissioning of the plant. Before his arrest, Mr. Sabhapathi told presspersons that the Udupi Zilla Panchayat, Udupi Taluk Panchayat, and Alevoor Gram Panchayat had opposed the shifting of the garbage-dumping yard from Beedinagudde in Udupi city to Alevoor village.

However, the State Government and the district administration did not respect the Panchayati Raj Act and had gone ahead with their plan of shifting it. This move of the district administration showed that it did not believe in democratic values, he said. Addressing presspersons here, Deputy Commissioner V. Ponnuraj said the district administration had held four meetings with people of the Alevoor Gram Panchayat in the last one month to convince them about the plant.

There would be no pollution, he added. The district administration was ready to provide land to those residing near the site. The district unit of Janata Dal (Secular) on Saturday criticised the district administration for what it termed a "sudden decision to shift the garbage dumping yard from Beedinagudde to Alevoor village".