Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (SP)

Udupi, Mar 30: District in-charge minister, Dr V S Acharya, who visited the area around the fly ash pond of Udupi Power Corporation Ltd (UPCL), which has become a major bone of contention between the local residents and the company, said that a special committee comprising experts from Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Manipal Institute of Technology and the district deputy commissioner, will be deputed to the area within the next 12 days to the areas affected by UPCL operations for studying the environmental impact and come up with suggestions to address all the issues concerned.

Udupi MLA, Raghupati Bhat, Kaup MLA, Lalaji Mendon, and a number of officials including district deputy commissioner, Hemalata, district superintendent of police, Dr Ravikumar, and tahsildar, Prasanna Kumar, accompanied Dr Acharya during the said visit.

The minister said that the coal and ash disposal systems within the UPCL plants have been working efficiently without any problems, but agreed that there are problems outside the plant, which have been resulting in the sufferings of the people. He said that the committee of experts will be asked to submit its report to the government within the next 15 days. He added that the recommendations of the committee will be implemented in Toto without any delay, and that the government is committed to initiate steps to stop environmental pollution created by the plant.

A number of people including Mudarangady gram panchayat president, Sunilraj Shetty, former president of district Milk Producers Cooperative Union, Sukumar Shetty, Nitin Shetty, Balakrishna Shetty, and local women explained to the minister and deputy commissioner the problems being faced by them.

In the meanwhile, BJP district president, K Udayakumar Shetty, said that both his party and the state government are committed to address the problems created by the UPCL thermal power plant. He said that MP, D V Sadanand Gowda, has already held discussions with UPCL vice president, Kishore Alva, and warned the latter to take necessary steps to put an end to all the problems within a month.

Former MLA, U R Sabhapaty, felt that adding political hue to anti-UPCL agitation and the ending of fast by Pejavar Swamiji is not at all justifiable.