Moodbidri : There was tension in the air at Niddodi, a small village in Moodbidri, when hundreds of villagers blocked roads and tried to prevent a central team of officials, which they believed, had arrived for a survey of land for the proposed Ultra Mega Thermal Power project at Niddodi.
The Central team was led by Central Electrical Authority Officer MS Puri and included Mangalore Assistant Commissioner Sadashiva Prabhu, Lakshman, Chief Engineer of KPTCL, Jagadish, MESCOM Executive Engineer and Nagaraj, KIADB Land Acquisition Officer.
When the villagers wanted to know why the team had arrived, Assistant Commissioner Sadashiva Prabhu clarified that they had not come for any survey of the land, but to study the distance between Niddodi, port and rail route as well as the Western Ghat. MS Puri, the chief of the team also clarified that no step would be taken without taking villagers into confidence.
The villagers were particularly agitated as they had no information regarding the visit. The AC who clarified on the issue said the villagers could not be informed as the local village accountant was on leave.
Convenor of Matrabhoomi Horata Samithi Kiran Manjanabailu, which has been spearheading the agitation against the proposed project said the ultra mega thermal power project was not feasible in Niddodi and added hundreds of families will have to be displaced for the project. He also said the project would deprive farmers of their livelihood.
A memorandum was submitted to the authorities by a delegation of villagers led by Joachim Koreya, President of Kallamundkur GP wherein the authorities were urged to drop the project.
Abhaya says he is against the project : On the other hand, Moodbidri MLA Abhayachandra Jain who is in Bangalore, spoke to some media persons over phone and made it clear that he was against the project. He also stated that he could not visit the place as he was in Bangalore. He said he had intimated the DC about the visit of the official team and that he has requested the DC to ask the team to return.
He said he was against any project which the people were against implementing.