Mangaluru, February 21: An interaction program was organized by NGO Okkoota at Radhakrishna Hall in the city on Friday February 20th.
Kateel Dinesh Pai, member of NGO Okkoota, expressed his opposition over the projects like Petroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemical Investment Region (PCPIR) project, Nidoddi power plant and Yettinahole project and briefing about these said, projects like PCPIR in the coastal district will affect the health of the residents here due to the chemical effluents released from the industries.
He further said, this project will cause air pollution due to the emission of harmful gases which causes serious health ailments. The citizens are misled about this project and possess no knowledge on these. The coastal area and the Western Ghats are not fit for industries, he said.
About Yettinahole project, Dinesh said, the project not only provides drinking water but also water to meet the industrial area requirement in Bengaluru. Only 3 TMC water will be given each for Kolar and Chikkaballapur respectively.
On Nidoddi power plant project, he said, fly ash and toxic gases released from the thermal industries will cause acid rain which destroys the yield in agriculture.
Environmental activist Shashidar Shetty and Vasudev Bolooru also expressed their views on these projects.
The interaction concluded with the decision- the government’s move of acquiring the land forcibly from the farmer is against the Constitution. The committee demanded that in future, the government support agriculture and completely stop acquiring agricultural land.
