Pejavar seer withdraws proposed fast after Govt. issues denotification order

July 13, 2011

Mangalore, July 13: As one of his major demands was fulfilled by the state government, Pejawar Mutt chief pontiff Vishvesha Thirtha Swami formally announced that he withdrew from the proposed indefinite fast against land acquisition for second phase of Mangalore Special Economic Zone.

Addressing the media persons here on Wednesday, the seer said the official order from government through Principal Secretary has reached him assuring denotification of 1998.3 acres out of 2,035 acres of notified land for MSEZ.

Additional Deputy Commissioner Prabhakar Sharma formally handed over the order copy of the state government to the seer on the occasion.

However, Mr Theertha said he would decide his future course of action on UPCL Nandikur after verifying the report of environmental impact study by the experts which includes two experts suggested by him.

“Within three months, government should submit the report and I will decide on October 2 what to do next?” he said.

The swamiji's fast against the acquisition of agricultural land for industry was scheduled to begin on Wednesday.

“We have already lost over 9,000 acres to industrial units, including Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited, BASF India, UdupiPower Corporation Limited and many other such units after Bangalore-Mangalore became the largest industrial zone in the state. We have already got our share of chemical and oil pollution. How much more should this district sacrifice?” the swamiji earlier had questioned.

MSEZ MD cannot comment, yet

Meanwhile, the managing director of the Mangalore Special Economic Zone (MSEZ), Rajiv Banga, said, “I am yet to get any communication from the government. There are procedures to denotify land. The MSEZ was a special-purpose vehicle, constituted by the Government of India. At present, the MSEZ has 1,600 acres. To become a multi-product SEZ, under the law, the SEZ should have not less than 2,500 acres. Presently, ONGC Mangalore Petrochemicals Limited (OMPL) and the Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited (ISPRL) have already started coming up with their plants. Three more companies have signed memoranda.”

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

Roadblock to Relief: Speaker Khader’s Push to Expand Key NH-66 Stretch from Nanthoor to Talapady

News Network

November 26,2025

Mangaluru, Nov 26: Assembly Speaker and local MLA U.T. Khader has initiated a high-level push to resolve one of Mangaluru’s longest-standing traffic headaches: the narrow, high-density stretch of National Highway-66 between Nanthoor and Talapady.

He announced on Tuesday that a formal proposal has been submitted to the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) seeking approval to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the widening of this crucial corridor.

The plan specifically aims to expand the existing 45-meter road width to a full 60 meters, coupled with the construction of dedicated service roads. Khader highlighted that land for a 60-meter highway was originally acquired during the initial four-laning project, but only 45 meters were developed, leading to a perpetual bottleneck.

"With vehicle density rising sharply, the expansion has become unavoidable," Khader stated, stressing that the upgrade is essential for ensuring smoother traffic flow and improving safety at the city's main entry and exit points.

The stretch between Nanthoor and Talapady is a vital link on the busy Kochi-Panvel coastal highway and connects to major city junctions. The move to utilize the previously acquired land for the full 60-meter width is seen as a necessary measure to catch up with the region's rapid vehicular growth and prevent further traffic gridlocks.

Comments