Karwar: Members of Uttara Kannada Zilla Minugarar Vedike has urged the district administration not to scrap the environmental clearance certificate given to the second phase of development works at Baithakol Port.

In a memorandum submitted to deputy commissioner here on Tuesday, the members demanded the administration to restart the entire process from the first in a transparent manner.

They said, members of fishermen community had opposed the new proposal during the public grievance meeting organised by administration on February 9, 2018. The members had given in writing our objections to the project. The State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) has also not given its consent for the project.

The members said that the district administration by giving it approval has caused grave injustice to the fishermen.

The vedike members said that the second phase of the development work at the port will take away major part of the current fishing reserve area. Houses of several fishermen will be forcefully evicted. The present proposal will adversely affect the construction of protection wall and desilting of drainage, they said.

They also said that the proposed development work comes within five kms of the ecologically sensitive zone. So the permission for the said project should be issued at the Central government.

Centre for Policy Research Mahabaleshwar Saimane, community leaders K T Tandale, Ganapathi Mangre, Sridhar Harikantar, Sudhakar Harikantar, Prasanth, Chethan , Mohan and others were present.