Mass convention in Sirsi on January 11 against Bedthi–Aghanashini river diversion projects
Karwar: Opposition to the proposed Bedthi and Aghanashini river diversion projects in Uttara Kannada district is set to intensify with a massive public convention scheduled to be held in Sirsi on January 11.
The event is being organised under the banner of the Bedthi–Aghanashini Valley Conservation Committee, led by Swarnavalli seer, with the primary objective of demanding the scrapping of the river diversion projects and protecting the fragile ecology of the Western Ghats.
The convention will be held at the MES College Grounds in Sirsi from 2 pm onwards and is expected to witness the participation of environmentalists, religious leaders, political representatives and thousands of concerned citizens from across the district.
Retired Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde will attend the event as a special invitee, while noted environmental economist Prof. B.M. Kumaraswamy will deliver a keynote lecture highlighting the ecological, social and economic implications of large-scale river diversion projects.
A significant highlight of the gathering will be the presence of several revered religious heads, lending moral and spiritual support to the environmental cause.
Those expected to be present include Swarnavalli Mutt’s Gangadharendra Saraswati Swamiji, Mannelemavu Mutt’s Madhavananda Bharati Swamiji, Sodhe Vadiraja Mutt’s Vishwavallabha Tirtha Sripada, Swadi Digambara Jain Mutt’s Bhattakalanka Bhattaraka Pattacharya, Soraba’s Jadde Dr. Mahantha Mahaswamiji, and Brahmananda Bharati Swamiji of Shiralagi Sri Chaitanya Rajaram Ashram in Siddapur.
The organisers said the collective presence of saints from different religious traditions underlines the seriousness of the threat posed to the Western Ghats and the rivers that sustain the region’s biodiversity and livelihoods.
They warned that diverting the Bedthi and Aghanashini rivers would have irreversible consequences on forests, agriculture, drinking water sources and coastal ecosystems.
Political leaders cutting across party lines are also expected to participate. According to the committee, Uttara Kannada district in-charge minister Mankalu Vaidya, MP Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri, Haliyal MLA R.V. Deshpande, Yellapur MLA Shivaram Hebbar, Ankola–Karwar MLA Satish Sail, Sirsi–Siddapur MLA Bhimanna Naik, and Legislative Council members Ganapati Ulvekar and Shantarama Siddi have been invited to the convention.
The organisers said the convention aims to send a strong message to the government that people of Uttara Kannada will not accept projects that endanger the Western Ghats in the name of development, and urged citizens to participate in large numbers to safeguard the region’s natural heritage.
