Environmentalists sore at D V S Gowda’s stand - Yettinahole

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Jan 4, 2016 :Sahyadri Sanchaya, a registered body of green activists, Mangaluru, has said that Union Law Minister DVS - D.V. Sadananda Gowda’s criticism of the protest by the people of Dakshina Kannada against the Yettinahole diversion project is an insult to the people of Tulu Nadu.   DVS had criticised the protest and green activists against the project at Puttur.  He had said that the arguments of the protesters were not proper.

Dinesh Holla, convener of the sanchaya, in a release said that Minister D V S Gowda speaking for the project had raised many doubts about his integrity. It was not proper for Minister Gowda, who has earlier been elected to Parliament and to the State Assembly with the votes of people from Dakshina Kannada, to criticise the protests by the people of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi. The sanchaya condemned the statement of  D V S Gowda.

Call for debate :   Holla said that if the arguments of protesters were not correct, Minister Gowda could have arranged a face-to-face debate with the government and activists. He should answer why he was not coming forward.  Holla added that if the government had any report which clearly stated that the project would not harm the Nethravati and the Western Ghats, it should be made public. Let Minister Gowda make it available to the people.

The sanchaya wondered how  Gowda was not aware of a delegation led by Nalin Kumar Kateel, MP, meeting Union Minister for Environment and Forest Prakash Javedkar in Delhi on December 17.

It clearly   raised doubts whether he was a Minister in the Union government or if he was not part of the BJP. “It gave scope for questions whether there is no link between  Gowda and the Dakshina Kannada BJP,” .