Kannur: As the four-month-long protest by Ramanthali villagers ended on Wednesday, the INA officials heaved a sigh of relief ahead their prestigious passing out parade (POP) on Saturday.
If the protest was not over, it would have been an embarrassing moment for Navy as a foreign naval chief is reviewing the parade for the first time in the INA's history.
Villagers are also happy by the fact that without the support of political parties in the region, they were able to taste the success. On January 27 they staged a procession to INA alleging the faulty sewage treatment plant (STP) was causing a huge rise in water level in the nearby wells.
As the protest intensified, Kannur district collector assigned a team comprising Thalassery sub-collector, groundwater department and pollution control board officials to visit the spot and prepare a report.
Later, Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM) also conducted a study on the water samples collected from the INA campus and nearby areas. The separate report from the pollution control board found that the STP was not following the PCB norms.
However, no report could prove that the INA STP is responsible for the water contamination.
On March 29, as the protest intensified, the issue took a new turn with the INA alleging that six navy officers were physically assaulted by protesters in separate incidents and also abused the families of officers and damaged their vehicles.
The next day, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan convened a meeting of all parties involved at Payyannur and decided to form an expert committee.
Based on the decision, pro-CPM Janakeeya Samrakshana Samithi withdrew from the protest, but the JASS continued the hunger strike started on March 23.
Southern Naval Command Flag Officer Commanding in Chief Vice Admiral A.R Karve also visited the controversial plant on April 11 and directed corrective action.
The CM-appointed committee report also drew flak as it didn’t suggest any solid plans to sort out the issue.
