PADUBIDRI: Residents of Ulloor in Ellur gram panchayat limits staged a protest against the Udupi Power Corporation Ltd (erstwhile Nagarjuna) for letting the waste saline water from the plant into the fields, affecting the crops as well as contaminating the local wells.
The locals said the saline water that was let out from the plant was also found to be quite hot. The controversial project which has commenced operations despite stiff opposition, it is learnt was first drawing water from the sea to be purified and used in the boiler. The extra water that was not purified was let out through a drain with the water directly entering the local fields.
The locals had complained to the tahsildar in the backdrop of which the Kaup revenue officer A Satyananda Shetty had arrived at the spot along with the village accountant of the local panchayat.
When villagers complained to the officers that the saline water was let into the farm lands since the past three days and that they were also finding it difficult to consume the well water which too has turned saline, a company spokesperson named Sudarshan who was at the spot tired to divert the attention of the authorities by saying “The waste water was not saline and hot.†However the official team on inspection found that the complaint of the villagers was right. When the villagers took the company spokesperson to task he silently left the place. The villagers say they were now forced to trek for long to get potable water.
Some time back, when the locals had enquired the reason behind the construction of a drain, the company authorities had said that it was to facilitate free flow of rain water. Now with the saline water let into this drain, the intentions of the project authorities have become crystal clear.
Meanwhile though the authorities have taken a sample of the water for testing, the locals have no hope that they would report against the company. Their question is how they could secure justice when the government and the officials are outrightly in favour of the company.
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