MANGALURU: After the voluntary bandh against Yettinahole project in Dakshina Kannada district on May 19, the Nethravathi Rakshana Samyukta Samiti is now gearing up to welcome two former chief ministers of Karnataka to Mangaluru City with black flags on June 11.
Samiti president and former MLA K Vijayakumar Shetty told reporters that a black flag protest will be held near Town Hall, where Union minister for law and justice D V Sadananda Gowda and former Union minister M Veerappa Moily are scheduled to attend a media event.
“Black flags will be shown to former chief ministers of Karnataka, who are responsible for the implementation of unscientific Yettinahole project. We are ready to face any consequences. Let police arrest us or use canes against us. Our fight is against Yettinahole project, which is being implemented despite stiff opposition from the people of Dakshina Kannada,” Shetty said.
While Yettinahole project was taken off during the tenure of Sadananda Gowda as chief minister, Veerappa Moily is keen on its implementation to ensure his victory in Chikkaballapur.
Moily has stated that the project will be completed in 2018,Shetty said, "the project will also see the fate of Varahi Project, which has not been completed even after spending thousands of crores in the past 36 years."
Samiti member Sathyajith Surathkal said efforts are on to bring Pejawar Adhokshaj Mutt seer Sri Vishwesha Theertha Swamy and Sri Kshetra Dharmastala dharmadhikar D Veerendra Heggade to the forefront of the protest against Yettinahole project.
“Both religious leaders have agreed to support the movement against Yettinahole project. Very soon, they will also be joining hands,” he added.
Another member M G Hegde said Karnataka Neeravari Nigam Limited (KNNL) has been acting as an agency to collect funds for the political party in power in the state.
“The KNNL is a corrupt organization of the government that has been entrusted the responsibility of collecting funds for the party in power. Yettinahole project will not provide drinking water to Kolar and Chikkaballapur districts,” Hegde said.