Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam   

Fishermen protest against pipeline

VISAKHAPATNAM: Traditional fishermen of Pudimadaka, about 55 km. from here, have formed an all-party committee to protest against laying of a pipeline by Brandix to release discharge from effluent treatment plant into the sea.

Members of the committee who went to the Collectorate to submit a representation, threatened to launch an agitation in the village with a population of 15,000 if the pipeline work was not stopped near their village.

They said due to opposition by them, the pipeline laying had been suspended last week. Leaders from the Congress and Telugu Desam Party are part of the all-party committee who criticized not holding any grama sabha at Pudimadaka before deciding to dump the effluent into the sea.

Pudimadaka sarpanch Chepala Venkata Rao, TNTUC leader Ch. Appa Rao, Vachapalli Appa Rao of Coastal Fishermen Welfare Association, MPTC members K. Nookalamma, Ganagala Bapaiah and Telugu Yuvata activist N. Bapunaidu told reporters on Monday that the pipeline would endanger the life of fish and shrimps. They said traditional fishermen would go for catch within 10-km radius of the shore and the indiscriminate dumping of effluent even after treatment would lead to discharge of certain toxins killing the marine species.

The fishermen leaders said discharge of effluent by certain pharma units near Parawada had led to death of dolphins and Olive Ridley turtles in large numbers sometime ago. They urged District Collector Sanjay Kumar to intervene and hold a grama sabha to withdraw the pipeline-laying work.

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