Trees worth Rs 30 crores have been felled at the site of Nagarjuna Power project in Yellur, said Nagarjuna Virodhi Horatta Samiti President Vijaykumar Hegde. Addressing media persons here on Thursday, Mr Hegde alleged that the survey works for the project was done by imposing prohibitory orders under Section 144 at Yellur and near by villagers. 
   Accusing Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy of issuing misleading statements regarding the power project, he said that the CM has given a statement that he has not received any reports from any quarter regarding the project, while the Samiti has given him a detailed report about its negative effects in May 2006.  The harmful effects of coal-based thermal plant on ecology of the region and the health of the people had been explained in the four meetings held after that. The people of DK and Udupi had blocked NH-17 for nine hours on March 17, in protest against the project. Still, the CM maintains ignorance, said Mr Hegde.
   He said that neither Mr Nagaraj Shetty nor Dr V S Acharya, the district-in-charge ministers of DK and Udupi respectively, are bothered about the issue, and that it is necessary to intensify the protest in this situation. Honourary Secretary of Country Boats Association Upendra Hosabettu stated that a detailed report of the findings of the team of environmentalists and fishermen who visited the coal-based power plant in Vishakhapatnam has been submitted to the CM who passed it on to the Energy Secretary for a report of the Energy Department. But the report has not been passed to the CM even after three months, he added. He maintained that Mr Nagaraj Shetty’s claim of ignorance regarding the report is false as a copy of the report was handed over to him too. “May be he has not gone through it,” Mr Upendra commented.