Union Minister for Law D V Sadananda Gowda and former minister M Veerappa Moily have been challenged to pass a truth test in divine presence that the Yettinahole project is ‘clean’.

The Yettinahole Virodhi Samiti vice-president M G Hegade has challenged Sadananda Gowda and Moily to visit Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala and pass a ‘truth test’ that not a single rupee has been misappropriated with regard to the Yettinahole project.

Addressing mediapersons in Mangaluru on Monday, the committee vice-president condemned the vague statements made about the committee by Sadananda Gowda. Hegade said that the Union Minister has called the Samiti members fake environmentalists. “He was unaware of the delegation led by local MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, which visited the Union Minister for Environment and the Union Minister for Water Resources. In addition, Gowda has said that the delegation has insulted him by not meeting him,” said Hegade.

“The words uttered by Sadananda Gowda are below his dignity,” said the vice-president, and urged the minister to apologise for the remarks.

Hegade further alleged that Gowda and Moily were both responsible for the implementation of the unscientific Yettinahole project. “Both the politicians have been disloyal to the people of Dakshina Kannada. While all the people of the district – including the MPs and various religious leaders – are protesting against the projects, Gowda and Moily have turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to the urges. The people of the district should banish them both from the district,” he called upon the people.

Subject expert and NITK former professor S G Mayya said that the minutes of the meeting of the Regional Empowered Committee, Regional Office (SZ), Bengaluru, on December 28, at the office of the Chief Conservator of Forests, Hassan, on Yettinahole project is full of contradictions.

The minutes also vaguely called that the meeting of the Union Ministers by K N Somashekhar and others as ‘pressure tactics’.

Criticising the matter, Mayya has said that nobody has the right to criticise the meeting of an elected representative. “The decision taken at the meeting to clear the forests in the project area is against the Forest Conservation Act. The habitat of the wild animals, the elephant corridor and the non-clearing of forests in the areas are all prone to soil erosion, but this has not been considered. Also, the environment impact report has not been submitted. The argument that only five to six hectares of forest area will be cleared for the project is far from the truth. The government has followed a Term Key Project, without inviting tenders, which will lead to devastation,” warned the former professor.

Mayya further said that the reduction in water content in the rivers will lead to an increase in the salinity of water as per the study of the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT).

Leaders Vijay Kumar Shetty, Shashiraj Shetty Kolambe, Dinakar Shetty, Uttam Alva, Ramachandra Baikampadi, Hussain Katipalla and MCC Deputy Mayor Purushottam Chitrapur were present.