Mangaluru: Even when the opposition to the setting up of Sulphur and Coke units at the Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemical Limited (MRPL) Phase III plant was still afresh, the company got another setback, when few residents spotted ‘outflow of oil and waste in a stream, the protest was naturally intensified on Thursday, with residents blocking the stream and raising slogans against MRPL.

The protestors – gathered under the banner of the Nagarika Horata Samiti – blocked the flow of contaminated water from MRPL premises through a stream by dumping a sacked mud. There were men and women – mostly residents of Jokatte – who unanimously shouted slogans against MRPL for their disregard towards people.

Muneer Katipalla, social activist said that MRPL is not taking measures to protect the safety of the people residing close to the company. Our protests have been taken too lightly. The officials of the MRPL do not understand the problems of the residents and have no concern to the health of the people.

There is sound, water and air pollution, and the district administration are least bothered to take any action”, he lambasted.

He warned to intensify the protest and ghereo all the entrance and exit of the MRPL, if their pleas is unheard, he added.

Besides this the women – almost unanimously – spoke about the noise and contamination of ground water – which affected their open wells and bore wells.

Earlier, when few representatives of MRPL came at the protest spot to convince the protestors about the outflow of oil to the streams, the residents picked up a fight. The representatives tried to convince them that the leakage was due to an error in pipeline and was immediately attended. The protestors had no patience to listen to them, but took them to task for dumping the entire village with dust and din.