The Hindu : Karnataka News : Blasts shatter peace of Yellur people

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Friday, Jan 04, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka

Blasts shatter peace of Yellur people

Ganesh Prabhu

Nagarjuna Power Corporation officials say they have the permission for blasts

PERSISTENT PROTESTERS: Manorama Madhwaraj (left), MP, at the Nagarjuna Power Project site at Yellur in Udupi district on Thursday.

Yellur (Udupi District): The people living in three houses just outside the fence of the 1,015 MW coal-based Nagarjuna Power Project here are having a harrowing time, thanks to the blasting of rocks at the project site.

These explosions have not only caused cracks in the walls of houses but also the small stones thrown up by explosions are a hazard, say the people.

Veronica Menezes, wife of Valerian Menezes, showed how a stone, which had got thrown during the explosions, had broken the tile of her house and the cracks that had developed on the walls. There are six members staying in her house including her two children.

Says Ms. Menezes, “These blasts are normally carried out at 6 p.m. There is no advance warning from the company (Nagarjuna Power Corporation Ltd.) about these blasts. These blasts have been taking place for the last one month. About three weeks ago, a stone came and hit my back. I fear when I go out to work in my garden and when I go to fetch water from the well. I keep praying that these stones do not hit my two daughters who return from their school in the evening”.

The 12-year-old son of Leela Poojarti narrowly escaped being hit by a stone from these explosions a couple of days ago.

There are seven persons staying in Ms. Poojarti’s house.

Says Ms. Poojarti, “My son Manish was playing on his bicycle when a stone fell very close to him. Now, I am frightened whenever my son goes out to play. Look at these walls. They cracked during the explosions.”

The cracks near the windows could be seen at the house of Leo Quadros. A person from his house said, “Since three days utensils have been falling in my house during the explosions and I can feel the vibration on the floor below me”.

The residents of these houses complained to the MP Manorama Madhwaraj, who visited all these houses. Ms. Madhwaraj lashed out at the police officer who was present for not protecting these people.

The police officer kept saying that the company had permission to conduct the blasts.

Altercation

An angry Ms. Madhwaraj drove to the project site office along with Nandikur Janajagriti Samiti president Lakshman Shetty and demanded documents giving permission for conducting the blasts. She told the officials of the company that the suffering of the poor people could not be brushed aside.

There was an altercation between Ms. Madhwaraj and the members of the samiti on one side and the officials of the company on the other side. After 20 minutes of wrangling, the officials of the company handed over a letter to her which stated that blasting operations could be conducted at Survey Numbers 434/1, 434/3, 449/4, and 443/3 at Nandikur, Padubidri.

Ms. Madhwaraj told presspersons that the permission given in the letter had not mentioned Yellur, where the three houses were located. “The blasts are disturbing the people and there was a danger of them getting hurt. But the police are doing nothing on this issue. We will approach the courts on this issue. I will write to the company to either give proper compensation to the people or repair their houses,” she said.

Mr. Lakshman Shetty said the samiti would take a decision within a week and hold a protest within a month.

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