Udupi: The Udupi Power Corporation Limited (UPCL) after the Adani Group took over, announced on Wednesday, November 23, a long pending grant of Rs. 3.02 Crore to 302 fisher families of Kairampani. On the same lines, Kairampani Fishermen Association members felicitated UPCL’s Joint President Kishore Alva for announcing the grant just six months after Adani took UPCL over from Lanco.
The overjoyed representatives of Fishermen Association visited Adani UPCL plant in Yellur where Kishore was honoured by Association President Bharath Kumar and members Sridhar Bangera, Purandar Salian, Yogendra Kundar, Bhuvanendra Padubidri, Leeladhar Kanchan and Gangadhar Karkera.
In 2010, the association had appealed to the then state government operating under Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa to grant Rs. 1 Lakh each to 302 fishermen’s families. After the appeal was looked into by the government, it was resolved that UPCL had to pay Rs. 3.02 Crore to the families to be able to purchase quality fishing equipment and improve standards of their livelihood.
UPCL run by Lanco had not disbursed the grant since the National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries Department submitted a report mentioning that there were no problems in the marine life by the water released into the sea by UPCL. The grant amount has been deposited with the DC by Adani UPCL and has requested the authorities to distribute the grant at the earliest.
Members of Kairampani Fishermen Association thanked Gautham Adani for the grant. Kishore Alva expressed his gratitude to Udupi District In-charge Minister Pramod Madhwaraj, MLA Vinay Kumar Sorake, former MP Jayaprakash Hegde, former MLA Lalaji Mendon and Dr. G Shankar for recommending the grant.
