Bangalore, May 24: The proposal to set up a thermal power plant in Niddodi in Moodbidri taluk has been shelved said B. Ramanath Rai, Minister for Forests, Environment and Ecology and district in-charge of Dakshina Kannada.
He was speaking to presspersons after laying the foundation stone of the residential quarters for the staff of the Forest Department.
He said, “Yes, considering the opposition of the people to the project, we have stopped the thermal power project.”
The proposed project was of a 4,000 MW thermal power plant at Niddodi and it has faced resistance for three years now.
Mr. Rai said a new elephant corridor from Nagarahole to Belgaum would be built as the existing one was not effective in limiting elephants to their territory. However, he said, “The interests of the people living around it would be considered.”
He said the housing project for the staff of the Forest Department would be completed in 10 months.
According to Lakshminarayana, Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF), Bangalore, the staff quarters were being built for forest guards, foresters and support staff of Bangalore division. The building would consist of four floors each, with six flats on each floor. Mr. Lakshminarayana said, “This will be the first multi-storeyed residential building of the Forest Department.”
Varahi 2nd phase
Vinay Kumar Sorake, Minister for Urban Development, said in Udupi here on Friday that the second phase of the Varahi irrigation project in the district will begin shortly. Addressing presspersons, Mr. Sorake said the first phase of the project, in the final stages of completion, will provide 1,100 cusecs of water to 15,702 hectares of land in 33 villages of Kundapur taluk and 37 villages in Udupi taluk. A canal has already been completed and water will soon be released into it. The government has cleared dues of the workers and farmers of the Brahmavar Sugar Cooperative factory. It would call a meeting of farmers to discuss the future of the factory, he said.
The State government had allocated Rs. 232 crore in the budget for constructing permanent seawalls in the three coastal districts to prevent sea erosion. The works will begin shortly in the district.
Paschima Vahini project
A proposal to construct dams against the west-flowing rivers in the coastal districts, at a cost of Rs. 354 crore under the Paschima Vahini project had been submitted to the State government. This project will help recharge groundwater at many places in the district.
A proposal has also been submitted to the State government to supply drinking water from the Varahi to Udupi city, Brahmavar and Saligrama towns, and the villages, en-route.
This project would put an end to the water shortage problem in Udupi and other towns and villages en-route.
The government plans to give importance to developing Udupi as a major tourist destination. An amount of Rs 6.2 crore had been allocated to construct link roads to Kaup, Malpe, Padubidri and Someshwara beaches. A sum of Rs. 1 crore had been earmarked for the development of a heritage village in Manipal and Rs 2.26 crore had been sanctioned for building a tourist boat jetty in Malpe.
The government plans to set up the Karnataka State Remote Sensing Centre at the Deputy Commissioner's Office here.
This Centre would help in mapping and surveying lands in Udupi, Dakshina Kannada and Uttara Kannada districts. Udupi would be the third city in the State to get such a centre.
An amount of Rs. 3 crore had been provided for the construction of an underground drainage system in Kollur, Mr. Sorake said.
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