DK bandh on March 3 against river diversion

'The project also intends to provide water to industrial areas near B'lore'

Even as the State government is all set to lay foundation stone for the ambitious Yettinahole project in Chikballapur on March 3, the fight against the project has gained momentum and is likely to intensify in Dakshina Kannada. Karavali Jeevanadi Netravati Rakshana Samiti has called for the district bandh and will observe black day on March 3 to protest against the project.

Addressing mediapersons on Wednesday, Samiti leader and former MLA Vijay Kumar Shetty said that the Samiti will join hands with various organisations to make the bandh successful. “We have decided to observe the bandh completely, except for the medical services, movement of a few buses to major locations like Bangalore and emergency services. We request people of Dakshina Kannada to sacrifice their one day for the cause of protecting Netravati and Western Ghats, which will be damaged if the Yettinahole project is implemented,” he said.

He flayed the government for cheating and meting out injustice with the people of DK, in its attempt to supply water to other parts of the State. The government has made arrangements to implement the project, in the absence of a detailed project report. The DPR of Yettinahole, which they claim to be having possession of, is merely a survey report prepared by a private firm, EI Technology. No DPR on the project has been prepared so far. Though the project has been portrayed as a drinking water project to supply water to parched regions, in reality, it also intends to provide water to industrial areas on the outskirts of Bangalore, he said.

Multi-purpose project

Criticising Union Minister M Veerappa Moily of ‘conspiring’ to push the project, Vijay Kumar Shetty said that Yettinahole project which was earlier planned as a drinking water project, had not received approval when Jayanti Natarajan was the union environment minister. 

After Veerappa Moily was given the additional charge of the Environment Ministry, he has revised the project making it a multi-purpose project and has given all the required permissions.

Netravati Rakshana Samiti leader M G Hegde took a dig at the chief minister for meting out disparity with the people of coastal districts. Despite being aware of all the fights and protests taking place against the project in DK, the CM showed no courtesy to convene a meeting of the elected representatives, NGOs and other organisations, to listen to the opinion of the people of the district, he alleged.