The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Mudhol has been turned into a town of diseases, says Gowda

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jun 26, 2011
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Mudhol has been turned into a town of diseases, says Gowda

Special Correspondent

The JD(S) leader accuses sugar factory of dumping waste carelessly

BANGALORE: Alleging that Nirani sugar factory, which belongs to Industries Minister Murugesh Nirani, had turned Mudhol into a town of diseases by polluting drinking water and through careless dumping of factory waste, the former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda has appealed to Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa to visit the town along with Mr. Nirani and himself to study the situation and find a solution, within July 10.

Mr. Gowda, who visited Mudhol twice recently to study the problems, shot off a letter to the Chief Minister on June 23 drawing his attention to the problems faced by the local people, including the fear of losing their livelihoods following a notification issued by the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) to acquire about 42 acres of land for the expansion of Nirani sugar factory.

Releasing copies of the letter at a press conference here on Saturday, Mr. Gowda said contrary to Mr. Yeddyurappa's claims that only dry lands were being acquired for industrial purposes in the State, the land proposed to be acquired in Mudhol was a fertile one with irrigation facilities. “The Chief Minister should keep his word that fertile land will not be acquired and desist from acquiring it in Mudhol,” he demanded.

There were also allegations of 18 acres of land belonging to Dalits and poor farmers being encroached by the sugar factory, he said.

Water polluted

He said water in canals, ponds and wells, besides the tap water had become polluted due to the discharge of effluents from the Nirani sugar factory in Mudhol and Soregaon village.

Pointing out that the Chief Minister was yet to reply to his letter, Mr. Gowda warned that the party would decide the next course of action to be initiated if Mr. Yeddyurappa and the Industries Minister ignored the problems of people in Mudhol.

Mr. Gowda said he had written another letter to Mr. Yeddyurappa on the issue of KIADB acquiring six acres and seven guntas of land on which an educational institution had been set up at Kittiganahalli in Anekal taluk.

The acquisition had been undertaken to hand over the land to Narayana Hrudayalaya, which had already been given possession certificate despite the educational institution challenging the acquisition in court, the JD(S) leader alleged. About 500 students from villages were studying in the educational institution which was offering courses right from pre-school to degree.

Pointing out that as per norms, it was not possible to acquire the lands belonging to educational institutions, he wondered how the Government could violate its own norms.

Fuel price

Mr. Gowda said he condemned the hike in the prices of diesel, kerosene and LPG.

“When prices of petroleum products remained stable at $ 90 per barrel in the international market in the last few months, where was the need to increase the prices?”

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka

News Update

Stories in this Section