Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (SP)
Udupi, Dec 25: Reversing his earlier supportive stance at the Udupi Power Corporation Limited under Lanco Company, previously known as Nagarjuna Power Plant, Jayasrikrishna Parisara Premi Samiti founder president Jayakrishna Shetty has come down heavily on the project, by claiming that it has massacred democracy.
Speaking at a press conference held on Wednesday December 24 here, Shetty informed, that the company refused to permit the Samiti office bearers and journalists to visit the project area in the guise of organizational rules and regulations, in response to a written request made for the same.
"The company is refusing to honour an agreement it had entered into earlier with the Samiti. Therefore, all the politicians should stay away from supporting the company activities. We will take up the issue with all the legislators and the Chief Minister. State home minister Dr V S Acharya, energy minister K S Eshwarappa and Kalladka Dr Prabhakar Bhat have been apprised of the matter. People need to know about the steps being taken by the company to conserve environment and also about the activities being conducted in the project area," he explained.
"The officials orally said that the Samiti office bearers and journalists would be allowed to visit the project area after February. We suspect that the company is clandestinely planning to install old machineries here in the intervening period. The people have the right under the democratic set up, to demand and get information about the ongoing projects," he said.
The Samiti will set up Environment Vigilance Committee to ensure that the project will not prove detrimental to the coastal environment. The committee respects Lanco Company but the behaviour of its officials leaves a lot to be desired. The politicians of the district should understand the importance of keeping a close watch on the progress of the project, Shetty narrated.
He also reiterated his earlier demand, that the government should make an announcement before the company lays the pipeline, assuring that not less than 30%a of the power generated here would be made available to the district. "During hard times, politicians, organizations and local people were against the project. But the Samiti supported the project, taking into account the overall development of the undivided Dakshina Kannada district and also considering the employment opportunities for the youth here," he said.
Jayakrishna Shetty sought to allay the apprehensions in the peoples' minds, by stressing that the Samiti has supported the project, but its members are not its agents. Vishwanath Mada, Dharmapal Devadiga, Sundar Bhandari and K C Shetty were present at the press conference.