Mangaluru: When parts of Mangaluru city were crying out for help due to the flooding in the city, some braved the storm and the floods to stand up for something in which they believe.
After finally receiving permission from the police to hold a protest in front of the DC’s office, a call went out on the night of May 28, for people to assemble in front of the DC’s office in Mangaluru city to protest against the killing of anti-Sterlite protesters in Tamil Nadu and stand in solidarity with them.
Around 100 people showed up to participate in the protest despite the lashing rains and near disastrous weather conditions.
Present to protest in front of the DC’s office were prominent members of the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) Ravikiran Poonacha, KRRS State Secretary and Vice President Khaleel, leaders of farmer groups from Mangaluru, Moodbidri, Permude and Kuthethur, social activist Vidya Dinkar, civil society people of Mangaluru, other trade union leaders and a few workers from the Mangaluru port. Vinod Mascarenhas, Director of Vimukthi Trust, Ujjire came all the way on his bike to participate in the protest.
After protesting in front of the DC’s office for about an hour and a half, around 65 of the protesters went in to meet DC Sasikanth Senthil. Even though the DC was preoccupied with the flood relief efforts, receiving calls and sending manpower to places where they were needed, he gave the protesters some time out of his stressful day to hear them out.
A letter from the Krishi Bhoomi Samrakshana Samithi was handed to the DC in which they had elaborated their grievances.
Referencing the pollution by Sterlite in Thoothukudi (Tuticurin) the letter states, “A similar situation is in the making at Mangaluru, with MRPL and associated companies like MSEZ, located abutting densely populated city limits of Mangalore whose unabated environmental abuse have made life unbearable to the residents around with coke/ sulphur dust, noise, water pollution. For eg., ground water contamination due to MRPL’s 1st & 2nd phases at Athurkodi, Bala; coke/sulphur dust, water and sound pollution at Jokatte & Kalavar due to MRPL’s Phase 3 since its commissioning in 2012.”
“At first, we were not able to get permission to hold the protest in front of the DC’s office. The police initially tried to convince us that we should hold the protest in front of Gandhiji’s statue near the Town Hall. We were determined to hold the protest before a state office. We finally got the permission on the evening of May 28. We held the protest despite the lashing rains and then met the DC. He assured us of another meeting within 10 days”, Vidya Dinker told NewsKarnataka. “The date for the meeting will be fixed within one or two days”, she added saying that issues such as farmers’ problems and land acquisition by the MRPL will be discussed during the meeting.
The letter alleges that despite a series of complaints being lodged, no action had been taken by either the company or the authorities concerned. “The complaints have resulted in just lip service by the authorities concerned, empty promises and deadlines never adhered to by the company; just photographs of latest expensive machinery are being shown with no practical solutions. Best awards for pollution control seem to have been achieved through dubious means, since residents continue to suffer”, it says.
The letter also states that the Phalguni/Gurupura rivers have “visibly blackened” due to the run off rain water from the Baikampady area.
It also states that there are plans for expansion of “Phase 4 of the Pollutant Company” in this very area where the Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index (CEPI) moratorium (the imposition of which was recommended by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests [MoEF]) was reached in 2010-’12.
The letter has accused the MRPL of hiding “the fact that it is located within the MUDA planning area and also abuts the densely populated Katipalla and other wards of Mangaluru city”, while applying for its previous Environmental Clearances from the MoEF.
The MoEF guidelines do not allow the setting up/expansion of a highly polluting hazardous industry within 25 kms of a city with a population of 3 lakhs or more.
“It shows the disregard for the residents of the area by the Company (MRPL), which would lead to a situation similar to the one at Tuticorin today. Hence we demand that strict environmental laws, implementations shall be carried out by MoEF & state pollution control boards. It is our duty to preserve a healthy, safe, sustainable environment for the well being of our future generations”, the letter concluded.
