Cong delegation faces ire of Niddodi residents

Mangalore, Jul 29: The local residents who are living under fear of losing their land for the proposed thermal power plant at Niddodi, on Monday expressed their anger against the project by stopping the Congress delegation, which had come to the village to inspect the land and collect opinion of the locals.

The delegation was stopped at Niddodi Gram Panchayat office for about three hours by the locals, who protested bitterly against the project shouting out slogans.

At about 11 am, a delegation headed by AICC member P V Mohan came near Gram Panchayat office and tried to convince the locals residents that the delegation was there on the direction of Minister Oscar Frrnandes and it wanted to know the opinion of the people.

However the raged local residents were in no mood to listen to any clarifications and explanation from the delegation. They were neither in the mood to talk about their feelings to the delegations.

“We will die but will never give our land,” said the villagers in unison and opposed the delegation saying that many such people had visited the village on the pretext of documenting their feelings and opinions. However, when they go back to their office to compile the report, they fabricate the report and give report in favour of the project.

Shouting slogans against the Project and demanding justice, the villagers asked the delegation to go back.

“Nobody is bother about our pangs. Niddodi is an agricultural area. Despite this the officials have shown it to be an infertile, barren land. The officials and delegations keep frequenting the village on the pretext of one or the other report, but we are never informed about the visit and about the status of the project. Why do you people visit unnecessarily,” the villagers questioned this delegation.

“We had been peace-loving agrarians. Because of this project we have left our fields and have become protestors. Now, to save our land we will go to any extent. Today we are here holding footwear in hand to shun the proposers of project away but tomorrow we might pick sickles and axes to save our land,” said the women of the village.

Meanwhile, the Gram Panchayat members and President too had to face humiliation from the villagers who alleged the elected representatives of not standing by the people.

However, pacifying the villagers GP Member Lagerius D'Costa said that the GP had already passed a resolution against the project.

The villagers kept forth a demand to call the local MLA, the Chief Minister and national level leaders to the village and make them say that the project will not come up in the village.

They said that the delegations which come to the village often go back and forward a report in favour of the project. To this, P V Mohan swore by his mother and promised the villagers that he will be judicious and report only the truth and not resort to fabricating or distorting the fact.