Women submit objections during the public consultation on the Keni Port project held at the Satyagraha Smaraka Bhavan in Ankola on Friday.
Credit: DH Photo
Karwar: The proposed all-weather deep sea port at Keni in Ankola taluk has drawn widespread public opposition, with thousands turning up to voice their dissent during a public consultation meeting held at the Satyagraha Smaraka Bhavana in Ankola on Friday.
The meeting, which began at 9 am and continued late into the night, saw a packed hall of concerned residents and activists.
Over 4,000 written objections were submitted against the project, highlighting concerns about its environmental and social impact.
Environmentalists alleged that the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report had not been prepared using sound scientific methods. They further stated that no prior notice was given to residents of the affected villages before convening the consultation, making the process legally questionable. Several experts demanded that the meeting be cancelled.
However, Deputy Commissioner K Lakshmipriya, who was present, clarified that this was not the final EIA report and no further public hearing would be held. She assured that all public feedback recorded during the session would be forwarded as part of the assessment.
Marine biologist V N Nayak criticised the report’s credibility, stating that the EIA was prepared in just three months, an insufficient timeframe for assessing the environmental impact of a coastal infrastructure project of this scale. He noted that there was no mention of the project’s impact on the fragile Western Ghats, which lie in close proximity to the proposed site.
The report also fails to mention the source of water required for port operations and ship maintenance, Nayak pointed out. He warned of potential hill excavation to source stones for the project, raising additional environmental concerns.
Lawyers, environmentalists, and several prominent individuals from different fields participated and vocally opposed the project, alongside the local residents. In solidarity, fishermen from the coastal belt of the district suspended all fishing activities for the day.
Senior environmental officer Keerthi Kumar from the Mangaluru division of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), Regional Environmental Officer B K Santosh, and representatives of JSW-KPPL, the company proposing the port, were present at the meeting.