Yettinahole project: Roads blocked in Mangaluru

Mangaluru: Putting up a tough fight against the controversial Yettinahole River diversion project, people of Dakshina Kannada staged a massive rasta roko and jail bharo amidst heavy rain at Uppinangady on Tuesday.

The protest was organised by Netravathi Nadi Tiruvu Yojane Virodhi Horata Samithi of Uppinangady and supported by various organisations. The protesters warned the government that if the Yettinahole project was not stopped, they would intensify their protest. Over 8,000 people participated in this protest. Shedding differences, leaders of SDPI, Bajrang Dal, Congress and BJP sat together on the road blocking the national highway at Uppinangady for about four hours.

Though elected representatives including Mangaluru MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, Congress MLAs Vasanth Bangera and Shakuthala Shetty attended the protest, they were not given a platform to speak to ensure that the protest was non-political. In his speech Horata Samithi leader Dr Niranjan expressed unhappiness over the silence of elected representatives of the region.

“We need to give strength to elected representatives to raise their voice against this. However if they fail, we will have to display our power,” he warned and added that people would go to any extent to stop the project. He also expressed fear that Yettinahole project might result in the launch of Niddodi Power Project near Mangaluru.