The Kali Sangama Sangharsh Samiti took out a procession in the town and staged a demonstration in front of the Deputy Commissioner's office on Thursday. Gangadhar Bhat, MLA, who led the protestors, submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner.

The memorandum said the place of confluence of the Kali and the sea was a sacred place where the ashes of the dead were immersed. Devbag, near the river mouth, was being developed into a tourist spot. The proposal of storing powdered ore near it would affect tourism. Collecting seashells from the riverbed during low tide had been the means of livelihood for the people. This would also be affected by the proposal.

The storing of the ore would result in silt formation in the river. And it might harm fishing in the river. Moreover, it might create air pollution and coconut trees on the banks of the river might be destroyed. In view of these, the proposal should be dropped, the memorandum said.

Ritesh Kumar Singh, Deputy Commissioner, who received the memorandum, said the district administration would hold a public hearing before any project was permitted to come up in the locality. He said public approval was necessary for such projects.

Mr. Bhat, who addressing the protestors, said the people of Karwar would not allow the environment to be polluted. The samiti president, Ganapati Pednekar, and the vice-president, Shankar Graf, were present.