Dharwad
Environmentalist Suresh Heblikar has taken exception to the state government allowing former Sri Lankan cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan to set up the Aluminium Cans and Beverages Filling Industry’ at FMCG Cluster in Mummigatti.
Heblikar has cited the requirement of huge quantity of water for the industry as the reason for opposing the project. The proposed plant requires 20 lakh litres of water per day. Already the city is facing shortage of drinking water and under such circumstances supplying 20 lakh litres of water to one plant defies logic, he said.
Stating that he was not opposed to Muralitharan investing in Karnataka and setting up an industy, he said it should not be in the city. People in the city are getting drinking water once in five days. Let Muralitharan set up his plant at any other place that has abundant water. The Belur Industrial Area near Mummigatti has 600 plants. There were two lakes here, but one has completely dried up. The government should think over the issue and ask Muralitharan to move to an alternative location, he said.
Ceylon Beverage Can Private Limited, promoted by Muralitharan, obtained clearance from the state government to set up the industry at the FMCG cluster set up by the BJP government in October 2022. The company had sought 26 acres for the purpose, and had proposed to invest Rs 440 crore which would provide employment to 500 people. The industries department at the state-level land audit committee’s meeting on March 4, 2023 had examined the proposal and on March 7, 2023, and the state-level single window clearance committee had approved the proposal.
