Thousands stage Rasta Roko at Pumpwell; raise voice against Yettinahole

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Oct 15, 2015 : Thousands of anti-Yettinahole protestors sat on a dharna  near the Mahaveer Circle at Pumpwell and staged a Rasta Roko agitation on October 15, Thursday morning to pressurise the government to drop the controversial Yettinahole Integrated Drinking Water Project.

 

 

 

 The protestors shouted slogans and blocked the road, disrupting the traffic. The  police  later detained the protestors. Several like-minded organisations had joined the protest organised under the leadership of Netravathi Nadi Samrakshana Okkoota.

Earlier, addressing the protestors, Dr Niranjan Rai, President of the Okkoota said thousands have gathered  for this protest to save River Netravathi which is under threat. The protest is  held on apolitical lines, he said and alleged that the government was fooling the people on the pretext of implementing the project. He declared that the protest will continue until the government dropped the project.

Vijay Kumar Shetty, former MLA of Suratkal who also spoke said  the government has so far not bothered to conduct a public hearing with regard to the project. An appeal to  CM Siddaramaiah and Ministers Ramanatha Rai and MB Patil to take people of the district into confidence has also been futile, he alleged.

He said among the elected representatives of the region only MLA JR Lobo and MLC Ivan D’Souza have  raised the issue in the Legislative Assembly and Council respectively.

SrI Esha Vittaldasa Swamiji of Kemar Mutt, said it was happy to see people of Tulunad unite for a single cause. "People here will not fear even to lay siege to Vidhana Saudha if the project is not dropped," he warned.

Dinker Shetty of All College Students Union, MG Hegde, social activist, Sri Rajashekharananda Swamiji of Vajradehi Mutt, Sri Gurudevananda Swamiji of Sri Kshetra Odiyoor, activist Dinesh Holla and many others also addressed the protestors.