Swamiji was speaking to press persons at the ash pond site after inspecting the problems faced by the locals. He said, “we will wait (for the suspension of power generation) till March 3 after that we can sit and chalk out the measures to be taken to prevent the damage to the environment and also the measures to tackle the problems faced by the release of bottom ash, fly ash, saline water, coal discharge etc.
If the promoters of the project fail to stop the production, we will support people's decision”.
Swamiji met the locals who pleaded before him to find a solution to make them lead a life. Some even expressed against the government, ministers and the politicians. “You (Swamiji) announce your clear-cut decision. We People will intensify our protest”, said Sudhakar Shetty, an activist.
Hemavathi, an activist of Srikshethra Dharmasthala Self Help Groups, a resident of Padebettu said that the water discharged by the power plant would sometimes be saline, sometimes includes detergents, sometimes chemicals and some other time the oil contents.
“Many of the wells in the local coconut gardens have been contaminated. Agricultural labourers have been affected by skin allergy. So far our well water is safe and as many as five families have abandoned their wells and are using water from our well. I don't know for how long this is potable?” said Hemavathi.
Hemavathi also said, “in the early hours you can see rain like down pour and if you spread you palm you will collect some ash”.
Local BJP Mahila Morcha President Sumithra S Acharya said that even cows stopped eating hay, which came in to contact with the water discharged by the power plant.
Locals also complained that fertile gardens have gone unyielding, cats, dogs, fish etc which had the discharged water either fell sick or died.
Poovappa Poojary, a farmer, who cultivates around 20 acres of paddy field including 5 acres of his own land said, “water from over three open wells became in potable. Though I have planted 200 plantains none of them have shot up. Earliar I used to harvest over 300 muras of rice and now it has come down to 100 muras”.
Vijay Kumar Hegde who accompanied Swamij said that the outburst of the people against the power plant has been increasing day by day and they have been, under the banner of Raitha Sangha, organizing a concrete protest strategy, to shut the Nagarjuna plant permanently.
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