Voluntary Bandh In Koppal Over Industrial Expansion, Villagers Flag Health Risks

Koppal: A voluntary bandh called in Koppal and Bhagyanagar on Tuesday to protest the proposed expansion of polluting industries in the district received a good response with shops and commercial establishments remaining closed from early morning.

The shutdown was called by the Koppal Jilla Bachao Andolana Samiti and Parisara Hitarakshana Vedike to mark one year of the bandh against the factory expansion. Protesters alleged that pollution from factories was damaging crops and affecting the health and fertility of residents in surrounding villages.

The proposed expansion of Baldota group near Basapur is among the projects facing opposition by the villagers.

A protest rally was taken out from Gavi Matha to Ashok Circle, with participation from farmers and villagers from Allanagar, Haluvarthi, Kunakeri and Hirebagnal. Demonstrators carried cradles and some wore oxygen masks to highlight and display what they described as the impact of industrial emissions on public health.

In Hirebagnal, which has more than 20 factories in its vicinity, residents staged a mock funeral procession and burnt a dummy corpse to express their anger. Farmers from Haluvarthi village brought samples of blackened crops on tractors and bullock carts, alleging that their produce had been damaged by factory smoke.

The bandh received support from several organisations, including environmental groups, advocates’ associations and writers’ bodies. Tension prevailed briefly at Gadiyara Kamba when protesters questioned elected representatives over the delay in resolving the issue.

Among those who took part in the rally were Koppal MP Rajashekhar Hitnal, MLA Raghavendra Hitnal, Congress district president Amaregouda Bayyapur and former MP Sanganna Karadi.

The resolution states that the agitation will continue until the bulldozer operations are stopped and, as part of the intensified protest, road and rail blockades will be taken up.

Legislators, along with district ministers, will soon lead a delegation of representatives from all political parties and leaders of the agitation to submit a memorandum highlighting the serious health risks faced by the people.

It was also resolved that, despite violation of the High Court’s order, the encroachment on Basapur Lake must be cleared and the lake restored for public use. Environmental and health surveys should be conducted by the Indian Institute of Science and AIIMS, and based on expert reports, factories in and around Hirebaganal and Allanagar must be relocated.

The protestors also demanded that the Chief Minister and the Industries Minister should visit the affected villages, and factories responsible for polluting the Tungabhadra River must be sealed.

In the coming days, a bandh will be called in the districts of the Tungabhadra command area, while padayatras will be organised in the affected villages under the leadership of swamijis. The government was also urged to announce a special relief and rehabilitation package for the affected villages.