The Gavimath seer addresses a public meeting organised as part of Koppal bandh on Monday.
Credit: DH Photo
Koppal: The dawn-to-dusk Koppal bandh, called by over 150-plus organisations against the proposed mega steel plant by Baldota Steel and Power Limited (BSPL) company on the outskirts of the town, received a massive response on Monday.
The proposed steel plant, with a capacity of 10.5 million tonne per annum, has sparked widespread outrage even as the taluk is reeling under poor air quality index due to the pollutants and industrial dust being emanated by dozens of sponge iron units. The protest rally echoed ecological concerns with speakers expressing fears that the mega steel plant, if commissioned, would displace the people.
Thousands of people, along with the religious heads and the elected representatives, took out a protest march from Gavimath to the taluk stadium.
Addressing the protesters, Abhinava Gavisiddeshwara Swami said, “The unregulated pollutants and the industrial dust from the factories operating in the taluk have made lives miserable. The pollutants from the factories are posing health hazards to people. Vast tracts of agricultural land have become barren.
The unchecked pollution has led to a rise in births with physical and mental disabilities, asthma and cancer cases. The mid-day meal laced with black dust from factories is being served to children in several villages in the taluk,” the seer said and added the BSPL factory, if established, would turn Koppal into a graveyard.
The seer urged the district minister, the MP and the ruling party MLAs from the region to mount pressure on the government and get the hazardous project shelved.