Mangalore, Dec 16: Members of Dakshina Kannada unit of Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha (KPRS) staged a stir by blocking the road at Rao and Rao Circle in Mangalore on Monday demanding withdrawal of the Union Government's decision of banning areca.
Addressing the protesters KPRS District Secretary Yadhav Shetty said that scientific research have proved that areca is not hazardous to health. But, the Ministry of Health, in a report submitted to Supreme Court recently with regard to a case on banning gutkha, termed arecanut as injurious to health. This move will affect not only the farmers but also the economy. Union government should not take further steps to ban aracanut, he urged and added that
the Union Government, in the affidavit, had stated that arecanut was not hazardous but mixing it with chemical substances was dangerous.
“Arecanut is grown in 11 countries across the world and so far no country has proposed a ban. Considering the economy and social condition of arecanut growers, the union government should withdraw its move,” he demanded.
Vasudeva Ucchil said that consumption of arecanut laced with tobacco is known to be injurious to health.
" It is wrong to brand arecanut as a substance that could result in a health hazards as it is a known fact that areca has immense medicinal properties in it," he said suspecting the role of tobacco industries in banning arecanut to promote tobacco product.
Akrama-Sakrama
He stated that the district administration has over 15,000 applications pending before it for housing sites but so far no one has received land. Some applications belong to the city residents who have been promised of land on outskirts of city.
He said that there are lots of problems pertaining to the Akrama-Sakrama which needs to be solved soon.
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