Mangalore : Students take to streets against Netravathi diversion project

Mangalore : Students take to streets against Netravathi diversion project

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, Feb 22, 2014 : The city of Mangalore witnessed a huge protest rally by students on February 22, Saturday  opposing the proposed  Netravathi Diversion Project which the state government is hell bent upon implementing.

Earlier, students of various colleges  in the city observed a college bundh by boycotting classes and took to the streets. The  protest was organised under the aegis of the Karavali Jeevanadi Netravathi Rakshana Samithi.

 

Students took out a protest march from Ambedkar Circle upto the Deputy Commissioner’s Office where a huge protest meet was held.

Speaking on the occasion, Vijaykumar Shetty, President of the Samithi and former Suratkal MLA, launched a scathing attack on those at the helm of  affairs for deciding to go ahead with the project despite fears that the project would be destructive. The project, if implemented will convert the district into a desert, Shetty feared.

He also  said  it has come to light that  there was even a ploy to supply the water of Netravathi for industrial purposes and demanded the resignation of  the local ministers and MLAs who are unable to pressurise the  government to drop the project.

MG Hegde, another leader of the Samithi  challenged  all elected representatives from undivided DK district  to  come for a public debate on the Netravathi diversion project and warned that the Samithi would given a bundh call in the twin districts of the DK and Udupi districts otherwise. He was also highly critical of Harsha Moily for trying to defend the project.

Activists Dinesh Holla, Shashiraj Shetty, student leader Rakshith Poojari and several others were present.

Protest at St Aloysius College : Students of St Aloysius College  also organised a protest meet in the campus prior to the protest rally. Fr Swebert D’Silva, Principal called upon the youth to join the fight against the project.

He described the diversion of river  as a project which violates the rules of nature.
Prateek Ponnanna,  President of the Student Council of the College, social activist Dinesh Holla and others spoke.