Bhatkal: After sanctioning, residents protest against drainage project in certain areas

Bhatkallys News Bureau/Rizwan Gangavali Bhatkal 25 July 2017: Days after submitting a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner (DC) asking him to withdraw the Underground Drainage system (UGD) contract and work at the earliest, citing its failure in various other towns, the residents of the Jali Patan Panchayath area today staged a dharna outside Jali Panchayath office while the General body meeting of the panchayath was under way. Police personnel were called to bar the residents from entering the panchayath office during the general body meeting. The residents were waiting outside the office till the meeting came to an end and refused to leave without speaking to the Panchayath officials. Rupees 202 crores were recently sanctioned to Bhatkal from the state government for UGD after years of hard work and follow-ups from different political channels as the town struggled for a proper drainage system for years. Panchayath president along with few members then, initiated a talk with the residents who cited failures of UGD in Takia Street of Bhatkal and also pointed out that UGD has polluted one of the river and several drinking water wells in the street resulting in several families to vacate their homes, the residents called for withdrawing the contract which brings four tanks from a total of eight sanctioned tanks of UGD in the Jali patan Panchayath area while the remaining four tanks goes to Municipality area. The residents objected to the UGD tanks coming into their area and urged the Panchayath members to transfer it to some other part of the town as were afraid their own wells and river would get polluted due to UGD. They also stressed to immediately pass a resolution in the ongoing general body meeting, which was laid down by the president as he asked the protestors to submit an formal application for the same after which the panchayath will review the issue. Panchayath president while speaking to Bhatkallys.com requested people to co-operate with the officials and try to resolve the issue through dialogue and not by protests and strike, he also assured the request of the residents will be reviewed by the panchayath and a decision will be taken in public interest, but stressed upon holding a dialogue with people and requested them to stop strikes and protests.