Mangaluru : The Nethravati Rakshana Samyukta Samiti, an action committee fighting against the Yettinahole project, on Monday challenged U.T. Khader, Minister for Health and Family Welfare, for a debate with the experts of the samiti over the pros and cons of the project.

Addressing presspersons here, K Vijaya Kumar Shetty, president of the samiti, said that it was unfortunate that the Minister representing Mangalore Assembly constituency, which also received waters from the Nethravati, had been supporting the project. Mr. Khader had insulted the people of Dakshina Kannada by supporting the project, he alleged. “He has hurt the feelings of the people of Dakshina Kannada who voluntarily observed a bandh against the project on May 19,” Mr. Shetty, also a former Congress MLA, said. He said that if Mr. Khader was not ready for a debate, he should apologise to the people of Dakshina Kannada for supporting the project. Mr. Shetty said that the samiti thanked every one for supporting the bandh.

He said that the samiti would soon meet State presidents of all political parties in Bengaluru, including H.D. Kumaraswamy, B.S. Yeddyurappa, G. Parameshwara and if possible former Chief Minister S.M. Krishna to apprise them on the dangers of the project.

Mr. Shetty said that the samiti was planning to gherao some Ministers and MLAs from the district. M G Hegde, an adviser of the project, said that it was still possible for the government to stall it. There were instances of the government withdrawing from projects approved by the Legislature. He said that the committee urged the district in-charge Minister B. Ramanath Rai and Mr. Khader to write to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah apprising him on the impact of the project over ecology of the Western Ghats and the Nethravati.

Mr. Hegde wondered when the government had not fixed any timeframe for completing the project how to calculate the cost of the project. “On what basis the government has calculated the cost of the project,” he asked.