Sorake threatens to protest against UPCL

UDUPI, May 20, 2015

Vinay Kumar Sorake, Urban Development Minister, said on Tuesday that he would launch an agitation against the thermal power plant of Udupi Power Corporation Ltd. (UPCL) at Yellur in Udupi district, if it failed to pay taxes to the Yellur Gram Panchayat and use its funds under Corporate Social Responsibility for the welfare of the surrounding villages.

Addressing presspersons here, Mr. Sorake said that the salt water discharged by the thermal plant had damaged the fields of farmers in a couple of surrounding villages. UPCL should pay compensation to these farmers, he said.

UPCL, which is now under the Adani Group, wants to expand the capacity of the thermal plant.

For this purpose, it is planning to buy land in neighbouring villages up to Inna and Belman. “But we will fight against such mega expansion plans of the UPCL,” he said.

Energy Minister D.K. Shivakumar had called him for a meeting with the officials of UPCL in Bengaluru on May 19. But Mr. Sorake had refused to attend it. He had briefed Mr. Shivakumar on the problems faced by people due to the thermal plant, e said.

On the K. Kasturirangan Panel’s Report on the Conservation of the Western Ghats, Mr. Sorake said that the State government had urged the Centre only to include reserve forests and wildlife areas for conservation and to avoid all human habitations. The State government had already sought the relaxation of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms. The CRZ norms, in existence in Goa and Kerala, should be extended to the State. This would help in promoting tourism along the coastline, he said.

Mr. Sorake said that ever since the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government came to power, the funds sanctioned to his Urban Development Ministry had been drastically reduced. The previous United Progressive Alliance government had provided Rs. 6,400 crore for implementation of various schemes. But the NDA government had provided only Rs. 82 crore.

The NDA government had also changed the ratio of funding for construction of fisheries harbours. Earlier, the Centre used to provide 75 per cent of amount, while the State bore the rest. Now the State government has to bear 60 per cent of expenses on construction of a port, while the Centre pays the remainder, Mr. Sorake said.

‘The plant should pay compensation to farmers’