Nagarika Seva Trust and Krishikara Vedike will organise district-level hakkothaya jaatha at Urwa maidan on January 29 at 11 am, said Nagarika Seva Trust President Somanath Nayak.

Addressing a press meet here on Friday, Mr Nayak said  all the political party leaders have been invited and they have to speak on their party’s stand with regard to the Mangalore Special Economic Zone (MSEZ), Petroleum Chemicals and Petrochemicals Investment Region (PCPIR) and coal based Nagarjuna Thermal Power plant.

He said with the setting up of Mangalore Special Economic Zone, PCPIR and Nagarjuna Thermal power plant, the Western ghat will be damaged and lives of 21 lakh agriculturists and 3.5 lakh fishermen in the undivided Dakshina Kannada district will be affected.

The hakkothaya will urge the government drop these projects. The ‘Danida report’, ‘Karnataka Parisara sthithi varadi mathu Karyayojane 2003,’ ‘National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, Nagpura report 1998’ and Carrying capacity for industrialisation of Dakshina Kannada reports should be made known to the public and developmental projects for the district should be prepared on the basis of these reports.

He said “PCPIR is not needed to the district. Instead, there should be agriculture and forest based industries.

Small industries should be encouraged in the district.”

Already acquired land for MSEZ should be denotified and coal based thermal power plant should be shifted from the district.

Mr Nayak said the issue of Mangalore Special Economic Zone, PCPIR will be made a big issue during the forthcoming elections and all the party should include these issues in their election manifesto.

As part of the hakkothaya, a jaatha will be held from PVS Circle to the Urwa on the occasion. Litterateur Prof Amrith Someshwar will deliver the key-note address on the occasion.