Bantwal: After a Pooja performed to the flowing Netravati river on the steps of Sri Thirumala Venkatramana temple at Bantwal on Tuesday Jan.14, Sri Vidyaprasannateertha Swamiji gave a clarion call to the people of DK district to protect the environment of Netravati river flow to provide drinking water to people of DK and reject the proposed plan to divert its waters to Mysore and Mandya. Diverting the river, he said in comparison was like snatching the life line of large number of people on the coastal region.
The drying up of the river from the Western Ghats down words will sound the death-knell of the life of people living in DK district, as there is no other river which sustains the creatures of the river the birds and trees in the ecology on the banks of the river.

The Swamiji pleaded to save the river at all costs for the benefit of laks of people in the district.

Senior author Erya Laxminarayana Alva presided over the programme.

Modankapu church parish priest Maxim Noronha led the prayer. Vasanthi Chandappa, president of town municipal council, Rohitaksha Rai, Purushothama, Mamatha Gatti, Padmashekar Jain, Manur Laxmana Kamath, Nemiraja Shetty, Mayilappa Salian, Harikrishna Bantwal, Pius Rodrigues, Vasu Poojary, Praveen B., Abbas Ali, Naizil Pereira, P V Mohan, Vasudeva Boloor, Yogish Jeppu, Dinesh Holla, Suresh Shetty, Richard Menezes, Badruddin, Niranjan Rai, Uttam Kumar, Denis D’ Silva and others were present.

Committee president, former MLA Vijaya Kumar welcomed and Hussain Katipalla proposed vote of thanks.