People stop MSEZ work at Kuloor

Mangalore, April 14: Residents of the Melakoppala and Athrebailu areas near Kuloor stopped workers hired by Mangalore Special Economic Zone Limited from dumping mud into the Phalguni river on Friday morning.

MSEZL had been dumping mud in the river along roughly the 1-km stretch to widen the KIOCL-Jokatte Railway Gate Road, which runs along the banks of the river.

Residents of the Melakoppala Athrebailu areas, which are located on the banks of the river in front of the road, alleged that the level of water in the river rose by three feet after the MSEZL started the work. This has raised fears among the residents that the dumping of mud would cause unnatural flooding during the monsoon. They had given a memorandum to Deputy Commissioner N. S. Channppa Gowda in this regard.

Arun D'Souza, a resident of Athrebailu, told The Hindu that local people had gone to where the earthmovers had dumped mud and were levelling the soil at 8.30 a.m. and had demanded that the work be stopped. Even though the local people got the work stopped at around 10 a.m., Mr. D'Souza said the residents did not leave the spot immediately fearing that the workers would renew the levelling.

“Even though they got a notice from the CRZ (section of the Department of Environment), they did not stop the work. We have approached the Deputy Commissioner and other officials, but no one is bothered that mud is being dumped into the river,” Mr. D'Souza said.

Another resident of the area Anil D'Souza said they wanted CRZ officials to come and visit the spot.

On April 5, the Coastal Regulation Zone section of the Department of Environment and Ecology had despatched a notice to the company directing it to stop dumping mud in the river within 15 days of receiving the notice. The company only had permission to build a road on stilts, but not reclaim land.

Assistant Director for CRZ Mahesh Kumar told The Hindu that the department had not yet got a response from the company. He said if the company did not follow the directions of the CRZ office, the department would write to the Secretary for Environment and Ecology, who would take appropriate action.

MSEZL's Public Relations Officer Ramachandra Bhandarkar said the Environment Department had been requested to allow MSEZL to continue work till May 25 and the mud from the river would be removed thereafter.