KADAPA: Police caned protestors who pelted stones and raised slogans opposing the proposed uranium project during a meeting to mobilise public opinion in favour of the project at Thummalapalle village in Vemula mandal on Sunday.

Police chased away protestors to the nearby hillocks. Later, some people of Mabbuchintalapalle, Bhoomayapalle and Thummalapalle villages squatted on the road and obstructed cars of Kadapa MP Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy, Collector M.T. Krishna Babu and others demanding dropping of moves to set up the uramium project.

Earlier, Anti-Uranium Struggle Committee members B. Narayana, G. Obulesu, K. Jayasri and A. Sampath Kumar and Siva Reddy displayed a large banner containing pictures of people suffering from skin and other disorders. They carried placards stating that radiation would pose serious health hazards.

The MP and Collector asserted that the project would not pose any health hazards and promised to take adequate safety measures.

Uranium was being mined at Jaduguda in Jharkand and medical tests had proved that mining workers as well as local people had not suffered any radiation effects, Senior Administrative Officer of Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) Goverdhan Rao said at the meeting. Mr. Rao said that the uranium project at Thummalapalle would neither endanger the environment nor the health of people in the vicinity, he said.

Mr Rao said that the energy needs of domestic consumers, industry and agriculture sectors were growing by leaps and bounds, necessitating tapping of all forms of energy sources. Collector M.T. Krishna Babu asked people to freely express their opinions.

The public opinion drive was aimed at dispelling notions among people. He urged officials to explain about ongoing uranium mining and projects proposed to be set up at different places.

UCIL claim

Hyderabad Special Correspondent: Meanwhile, the Uranium Corporation of India Ltd (UCIL) claimed that villagers at the public hearing had supported the project and were "fully convinced" with the presentations made by the officers of the Department of Atomic Energy and UCIL.

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