Was Bajpe landslide pre-cursor for larger catastrophe triggered by MSEZL?

Mangalore: The landslide at Thotlaguri in Bajpe that triggered the collapse of two houses woke quite a few up from deep slumber – survivors of the tragedy and the district administration included. Four lives were lost, giving a sense of severity to the incident, drawing people of repute including the Deputy Commissioner, elected representatives and the Home Minister, to the Dalit colony. While locals claimed that umpteen requests and appeals were made to the local Panchayat and district administration to pay attention to the problems in the area, their pleas fell on deaf ears. The result? A tragedy that claimed four lives.

Not too far away in the very same Bajpe, are families living in Nallidady Guttu, who dread catastrophe could play an encore. Lashing rains have got them worried too, albeit in a different sense. An area once full of agricultural activity, today finds itself sandwiched in industrial bustle around it, the key player being Mangalore Special Economic Zone Ltd. (MSEZL). People living in this village have more than a worry to grouse about.

“They acquired our lands and today we are surrounded by them. They have dumped mud all around and blocked the natural drainage routes that we had earlier. Rain water that gets accumulated down hill, has no outlet to pass through. Our fields are getting inundated and we fear that our houses will get washed away”, says Laxman Chowta, the spiritual head of theGuttu' of the area where the families live.

Industrial activity around the village has had its impact on their lives in a big way.

“Our agricultural activity has taken a beating. There was a time when 1000mudis' of rice would be produced out of this soil. Look at what they have done to our fields today. If rain water keeps getting accumulated this way, a day may come when we will all drown”, says a disgruntled Mr. Chowta.

The villagers feel the company has done it deliberately to cut off their earning options and force them out of the region so that they are completely evicted. Officials concerned on the other hand claim that they are “not aware” of the problem.

When asked, Laxman, Environment Officer, Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPBC), told Coastaldigest.com that he is not aware of the problem and will take up the matter with the MSEZL authorities. “They cannot be carrying out any industrial activity which affects the environment or as in this case, the lives of the villagers. They have to take into account release of rain water by creating outlet channels. I will take up the matter with the company and speak to them”, says he.

While inundated fields and surroundings are one aspect of it, pathetic condition of the approach road to their village is another.

The tar layer of the road is virtually non-existent and the mud on the roads courtesy industrial activity of MSEZL around the village, has made it next to impossible for vehicles to ply and pedestrians to walk with peace. Those doing the walking include schoolchildren from the village who walk a distance of about 1-2 kms to get to school. “We have been walking to school for a long time now. The auto-rickshaw drivers refuse to come to our village given the condition of our roads. We have got used to walking”, says Akshitha, one such schoolgirls from the village.

Ironic as it may seem, the road is a problem not just for the villagers but people working for MSEZL as well.

“We have two motorbikes but it is impossible to ride them on this road. We need to keep coming to Bajpe for our day to day needs like food and other things. The other route to the city is too long and cumbersome. This is the shortest route to Bajpe town but the condition is pathetic. We brought it to the notice of the company higher ups but the company says road problem is none of its business. They tell us they don't care. We are about 40 people who have come down to work here from Mumbai and all of us are affected by this problem”, says Vipin, Engineer, VSR Electricals who is in the team overseeing electricity installation work for the Cardolite Chemical project of MSEZL around Nallidady Guttu.

When asked, Gram Panchayat officials say they cannot do much other than putting a word to MSEZL authorities.

“I had requested the company people to do something about the road. They had said that they will put mud and set it right but I understand that dumping mud on that road in rainy season is not a viable option. The only proper solution to that road problem is tarring of the road but since the issue of land acquisition between the company and the villagers continues to remain unresolved, the Panchayat cannot on its own take any initiative”, says Pradeep Suvarna, President, Bajpe Gram Panchayat.

The villagers have submitted appeals to Nalin Kumar Kateel, Member of Parliament, and Pejawar Mutt seer Shree Vishwesha Teertha Swamiji explaining their problems but nothing concrete has happened so far, they say.