Inchara Udupi
Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (EP)

Udupi, Apr 22: Villagers of Kalathur and Padoor here held protests at Kural in Padoor and rice mill area at Kalathur on Saturday, April 22, alleging that Padoor-based ISPRL company was cheating the local people by encroaching more land than what was allocated to it. The company is constructing pipeline at the place.

The villagers alleged that the company was functioning illegally in the encroached land without issuing any notice and urged that the work be stopped immediately.

"KIADB had alloted ISPRL only 5.5 cents of land belonging to Nagappa Acharya and paid compensation to him. However, the company is now operating on 45 cents of land without notice. The work must be stopped immediately, if not, we will not allow the pipeline work to go on," warned Padoor Kalatthoor Janajagruthi Samiti chief advisor Shivaram Shetty.

"As many as 32 houses were damaged due to explosion of rocks near the rice mill in October last year. No compensation was paid to them. The rainwater drains have been blocked due to pipeline work. If these are not repaired before monsoons, there will be artificial flood and the fertile land will be damaged," he said.

"Villagers have complained to the gram panchayat about illegal work. Though the tahsildar was requested to send village accountant during KIADB survey, he was not sent. Instead, he lashed out at us. The tahsildar said that he has lots of work and told us to look after the work by ourselves," alleged Majoor gram panchayat president Sandeep Rao.

Gram panchayat vice-president Sahana Tantri, villagers Nithyanand Shetty, Krishna Rao, Srinivas Aithal and Diwaker Shetty were present.