Pics: Umesh Marpalli
Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (HB)
Udupi, Jun 3: Locals gathered in large numbers in front of Udayavar gram panchayat office here on Saturday June 3 to oppose the rumoured proposal to set up three new fish mills at Udyavar.
A special meeting had been called at Udyavar gram panchayat on Saturday, June 3, to settle an issue of land conversion from agricultural to industrial. Four land owners, namely Hariappa Kotian and Raju, Baby Mendon, Ushalatha Kotian and Valerian Saldanha, had appealed to Udyavar panchayat to issue NOC (no objection certificate) for conversion of land from agriculture to industrial. Accordingly, a meeting was held last week on May 27, and on the basis of votes from panchayat members, it was unanimously agreed to provide the NOC to the four land owners.
Also, a few months ago, the panchayat had received applications seeking permission to set up new fish mills at Udyavar.
Soon, as days passed, rumours spread among locals that the the panchayat had given permission for construction of fish mills on the land owned by the four owners mentioned above.
Udayavar already has three fish mills, out of which one has stopped functioning. People say that they are fed up by the pollution caused by the mills. Ever since the NOC was granted to the land owners, social media has been abuzz with messages against the possibility of setting up new fish mills.
In the wake of the opposition to the NOC by the locals, the gram panchayat again met on Saturday June 3 to discuss the NOC issue. During the meeting, about 11 panchayat members were in support of issuing the NOC to the land owners except Valerian Saldanha, six were against, and 10 neutral. When it came to Valerian Saldanha's land, nine members were in support, seven opposed and 10 were neutral.
Even as the meeting was going on, nearly 500 people gathered in the panchayat premises to not only know the outcome of the meeting but also to protest.
The issue finally ended with president of Udyavar gram panchayat Sugandhi Shekhar rejecting the plea for NOC for conversion of the land. She also assured that no fish mill would come up in Udyavar even in future, and clarified that it was just a rumour.
Vice-president of Udyavar gram panchayat Riyaz Palli, PDO Ramananda Puranik and others were present.