KARWAR: Close on the heels of the large-scale protests against a thermal power plant at Hankon, villagers living on Kali river bank in Karwar taluk are preparing for yet another agitation.
Nearly 200 villagers living in Ghadsai gram panchayat limits held a meeting at Halga on Sunday to express their opposition to the proposed thermal power project in the village by Bhoruka Company. They resolved to urge the gram panchayat to deny no objection certificate for the project. The president and vice president of the panchayat also participated in the meeting.
The meeting also decided to resist any attempt by the company in connivance with the officials to acquire land in the village by luring the villagers. It urged the Deputy commissioner not to permit the project to come up in the village.
However, the meeting welcomed any ecofriendly project in the village, which can provide job opportunities to unemployed youths of surrounding villages.
The gram panchayat was urged to convene a public meeting in its premises on October 15 to discuss the issue. The meeting was presided over by Digambar B Shet of Halga village.
Don’t give permission: Rane
Former minister, Prabhakar Rane has expressed his opposition to the establishment of a coal based thermal power project at Halga village on the bank of the Kali proposed by Bhoruka Company.
In a release here on Saturday, he pointed out that people of the district had been opposing such projects proposed at Tadadi and Hankon. Under such circumstances, giving clearance to one more project would mean dishonouring the sentiments of the people.
He stated that it was condemnable that the projects which pose environmental hazards were being imposed on people of Uttara Kannada district. In a letter addressed to Chief Minister, BS Yeddyurappa, Rane has appealed for a special relief package to the rain victims of Karwar taluk.