UPCL: Environment Committee not formed yet

UPCL: Environment Committee not formed yet

www.mangaloretoday.com

Udupi, July 5, 2011: The Udupi Power Corporation Limited (UPCL), which started functioning on June 21, 2010 completed one year.

When the people of the region started complaining of fly ash affecting the crops, water bodies, health and staged agitation, the government had promised to constitute a committee to study the affects of UPCL and fly ash. However, the committee is yet to be constituted. None, including the Environment Minister has clear answers with regard to the Committee.

 

 

More than 100 families living in and around Nandikur area continue to face some or the other problem, every other day because of the company. Recently, the rains had resulted in caving of a heap of fly ash and the watery ash had flown into 20 to 25 acre of farm land in the vicinity.

Looking back, the people of Padubidri region had staged series of protests against the Coal based thermal power plant. When KIADB acquired 800 acre land in Yellur and Palimar Gram Panchayats, the locals had opposed the move. Inspite of the opposition from environmentalists and locals, the UPCL started functioning.

Affects

After the setting up of UPCL, locals say that the cases of asthama have shot up. Hundreds of wells have become contaminated and there is salt water incursion in the region.

While the yield in farm land has declined drastically, the families eking of income from jasmine too complain that the jasmine produce has been affected due to fly ash problem. The farmers have lost arecanut, banana, coconut and other crops.

The insulators and other iron contents in the electricity polls gets rusted within couple of months of installation in the region, say the local residents. The reason cited for the immediate oxidation of iron contents in the area is sea water that is used by the Company for boilers. The water vapour that comes out from the chimneys of the boilers contains high content of salt, which corrodes the metal. The Chief Minister who had visited Karkala in May had promised to constitute an expert committee to look into the affects of UPCL. “The project will not be stopped. However steps will be taken up to check pollution. A committee will be constituted to look into the pollution aspect and measures will be taken to set right the situation after the committee submits its report,” said the CM during his visit. However, no committee was constituted.

Pejawar seer Vishweshatheertha has been issuing ultimatum to the government to set right the loopholes in the system. After a series of ultimatum, Seer has now asked the Government set right things before July 13.

Raitha Sangha district President Vijay Hegde said “no committee has been constituted to solve the issue of fly ash. We will once again come out on the street to continue the agitation.”

Hegde added that the company has kept coal in open in its premises. “There are possibilities of this coal getting mixed with rain water and further contaminating the region,”he said.

Courtesy: Deccan Herald