Bhatkal: Fishermen from Kasarkod Tonka in Honnavar taluk staged a sit-in dharna outside the residence of Uttara Kannada district In-charge Minister Mankal Vaidya in Murdeshwar on Wednesday evening, vehemently opposing the survey work related to port development in Tonka, Honnavar. The public expressed outrage over the alleged police lathi-charge and detention of 18 people in Tonka who opposed the survey under the name of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ).

Upon reaching the minister's residence in Murdeshwar, Minister for Fisheries, Ports, and Inland Water Transport, and district incharge minister for Uttara Kannada, Mankal Vaidya, was found absent, having reportedly left for Bangalore around three hours ago.

In an attempt to pacify the protesters, the minister's wife, Pushpa Lata Vaidya, conveyed that the minister was currently away and assured that she would inform him about the situation upon his return. She emphasized that the minister is always available to address public concerns and would work towards resolving their issues. However, the protesters remained dissatisfied, asserting that they were kept uninformed about the survey work in Kasarkod Tonka.

Expressing their discontent, the protestors highlighted that they had been protesting against the port work from the beginning, and suddenly a survey was initiated regarding CRZ without proper communication or presentation of the government order letter. With over 1000 families in the area, the protesters raised concerns about potential displacement due to the port development. They accused the authorities of suppressing their objections to the survey and demanded the immediate release of the detained protestors.

Pushpa Lata Vaidya pledged to convey the grievances to the minister upon his return and assured the protesters that he would address their concerns. When she mentioned the minister's plan to meet them, the protestors urged her to call the minister and relay their problems, requesting him to issue an order halting the survey.

Expressing dissatisfaction with the heavy police presence, the fishermen insisted that the minister should remove the security forces from the vicinity. They reminisced about the minister's previous support in halting the port work and urged him to uphold his commitment. The protestors warned of gathering three times the current number if officials persisted with the survey without proper information.