Mangalore, November 20: A resident of Ajekar village under Marne Gram Panchayat in Karkala taluk, Gabrial D'Silva, has blamed S.K. Furniture and Wood Industries, a private timber workshop adjacent to his home for disturbing the peace and ruining the health of his family members due to continuous noise and dust from the past five years.
Stating this at a press conference convened by the Dakshina Kannada district chapter of People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), here on Tuesday, he said that his father, aged 85, who had been fit previously, had died after his health deteriorated three years ago due to the pollution caused by the business.
S.K. Furniture and Wood Industries, run by Keshav Acharya, engages in manufacturing wooden furniture and comprises of a cutting machine, a planing machine, a sawing machine and a drilling machine.
Mr D'Silva said that there was no peace of mind at home due to the loud racket caused by sawing machines. The dust from the sawn timber settles all over the house and is a nuisance and health hazard. Those at home suffer from breathing problems due to the sawdust. The children are unable to study owing to the noise, he said.
He alleged that the timber-workshop was operating illegally, without having obtained 'No objection' letter from him, or approval from the concerned forest department or the pollution control board.
Claiming that his complaints to the concerned police officials and the local Gram Panchayat had gone disregarded, he said that the president of Panchayat too did not take action against Keshav Acharya, owner of the timber workshop and supported him in continuing his manufacturing activity in a residential and school zone, implying that there might be some sort of backing, political or otherwise.
He said that the police was unwilling to take action against the timber workshop, in spite of the fact that the Pollution Control Board had directed the industry to be shifted.
Present at the press conference were PUCL DK district president David D'Souza, vice president Ali Hassan, secretary P F Pinto, joint secretary Augustine, and PUCL member Nirmal Kumar.
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