Residents of Kukkehalli in Udupi taluk have urged the district administration to take action against the alleged pollution caused by a fishmeal plant in the village.
Ramachandra Bhat, a resident of Kukkehalli village, told presspersons that the fishmeal plant at Punachuru area of the village, which started functioning a month ago, was causing pollution. The effluent from the plant was released in the nearby Madisal rivulet. There was a vented dam nearby against the rivulet. Whenever the sluice gates of the vented dam were closed, the polluted water flowed backwards. This had not only created water pollution, but contaminated the nearby wells. Even agriculture and dairy farming in the village had been affected.
Although it had been decided at the gram sabha of the gram panchayat not to allow the plant, yet the plant had become operational. He had approached the High Court on this issue.
Despite elected representatives, including Higher Education Minister V.S. Acharya and local MLA Lalaji Mendon, assuring the people that the plant would not be allowed to function, the people were now suffering the ill-effects of pollution.
Though the members of the village submitted a memorandum to Deputy Commissioner M.T. Reju on September 20, action had not been taken to stop the plant. The authorities should take action to shutdown the fishmeal plant, Mr. Bhat said.
Satyanath Hegde said it was a puzzle as to how a fishmeal plant could be allowed 20 km from the seashore in the backwaters.
Residents of the village Prasad Hegde, Sitaram Udupa and Durgadas Shetty were present.
