HASSAN: A group of environmentalists and members of organisations, led by socialist leaders Manjunatha Datta and R.P. Venkatesh Murthy, on Friday submitted a memorandum addressed to Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy to Deputy Commissioner K.H. Aswathanarayana Gowda, appealing against the alleged destruction of the environment that was taking place during the process of development of the district.

The organisations wanted to present the memorandum to the Chief Minister on Friday, when he was due to come here, but could not do so as he cancelled his visit at the last moment.

The signatories to the memorandum included the Students Federation of India (SFI), Jai Kannadambe Balaga, Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, Balake Daarara Vedike, former councillors, BJP leaders and prominent citizens.

Satisfaction

While the protestors expressed their satisfaction at the rapid pace of development in the district, they said environment was becoming a casualty. They mentioned, for instance, that in order to set up the Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences (HIMS), several new buildings on the premises of the district hospital had to be demolished. Currently, they said, efforts were on to demolish the buildings of three old PU colleges on RC road and to construct HIMS buildings in their place.

They said 28 old trees had been cut down in Gandhada Koti, which was the only "lung space" in the city, and it was only because of their agitation on the matter that a further felling of trees had been prevented. The tress had been felled in Gandhada Koti so that the three PU college buildings could be constructed there, they said.

The protestors said that even before the construction of HIMS had begun, they had taken a delegation to Minister for Public works and Energy H.D. Revanna, who is in charge of the district, and appealed against the project. They had suggested that a medical college and a hi-tech hospital be set up on the outskirts of Hassan.

There was also a proposal to shift the court complex elsewhere to make way for HIMS buildings, they said.

They said that it was still not too late for the Government to shift HIMS to the outskirts of the city, and suggested that the present HIMS building could be used for housing the Government Nursing College and the proposed dental college.

The organisations appealed to the Chief Minister to initiate measures for development of the 12 acres of Gandhada Koti as a mini forest and park.

They also urged the Government to elicit public opinion before launching major projects.

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