Battle against Yettinahole to be legal, non-violent: MP Kateel

Mass prayers held at temples, churches against the project

People in Dakshina Kannada do not believe in violent protests. Legal battle will be on, along with offering prayers opposing Yettinahole project, said MP Nalin Kumar Kateel.

He was speaking to mediapersons after offering mass prayers at the Kadri Sri Manjunatha Temple in Mangaluru, prior to the hearing of Yettinahole case, which is scheduled on September 21.

Stating that people from the coastal region believe in peaceful protests, the MP said that legal fights will be carried on and prayers will be offered at all religious places towards protecting River Nethravathi.

“The two separate cases, filed by K N Somashekhar of Paschimaghatta Samrakshana Horata Vedike and former Deputy Mayor Purushottam Chitrapur on behalf of the Nethravathi Rakshana Samyukta Samiti, are before the National Green Tribunal. The first case, filed against Karnataka Neeravari Nigama Ltd (KNNL), has been transferred from the National Green Tribunal (NGT), Chennai, to NGT, Delhi. The next hearing of the case in New Delhi will be on September 21,” he said.

Samiti president and former MLA Vijay Kumar Shetty said that the transferring of the case to Delhi NGT has only increased the hope among the activists. “The substantial decrease in rain in the coastal region this year is undoubtedly due to large scale deforestation in the Western Ghats. Hence, like-minded people have gathered under the aegis of the Samiti to protect the Western Ghats and the River Nethravathi,” he said. He further stated that nobody can snatch the natural resources of the district.

Prayers were also offered by the Nethravathi Rakshana Samyukta Samiti at the Sharavu Sri Mahaganapati Temple, Milagres Church, Ullal Dargah and Sri Gokarnanatheshwara Temple in Kudroli.

Zilla Panchayat president Meenakshi Shantigodu, Opposition leader of Council in MCC Roopa D Bangera, Samiti office-bearers M G Hegade, Satyajit Suratkal, Harikrishna Bantwal and Buntara Yane Nadavara Matru Sangha President Ajit Kumar Rai Maladi were present among others.