Minister C.C. Patil fails to convince math head, farmers

Minister urged to think about environmental impact of setting up industries

July 09, 2011 01:24 pm | Updated August 16, 2016 12:21 pm IST - HALLIGUDI (Gadag District):

The efforts of district-in-charge Minister C.C. Patil to convince the head of Tontadarya Math Tontada Siddhalinga Swami and farmers who are opposing the land acquisition in Mundaragi taluk of Gadag district proved futile.

Mr. Patil's efforts to convince those opposing land acquisition for three industries in villages of Halligudi, Jantli-Shirur and Mevundi began with him meeting the head of Tontadarya Math in Gadag.

But the seer seemed unconvinced. The swami told the Minister to take into consideration the adverse environmental impact caused by big industries in these villages as well as Kappatagudda, which has been declared a protected medicinal plant forest.

The Minister told the seer they would meet him again with an expert team, which would explain the pros and cons of setting up industries in the district. Meanwhile, a remark by one of the farmers' leaders enraged the Minister, who left the venue in a huff.

Later, the Minister went to Halligudi village, where 3,382 acres of land has been notified for acquisition. He held a meeting in the village and asked the villagers to express their opinion about the land acquisition process.

While returning from the village, the Minister met social activist Medha Patkar and tried to convince her that there would be no forceful acquisition. Ms. Patkar wanted to know why they cannot opt for barren land to set up the industries.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.