The proposed public hearing on Petroleum, Chemical, Petrochemical Industrial Region (PCPIR) scheduled for December 18 is likely to be deferred, Minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao said.
Addressing the media in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday after a review with officials of different departments at the office of the Special Development Authority (SDA) PCPIR, he said that the public hearing could be deferred in view of the fact that there is an absence of clarity on the subject among the officials.
The Minister directed the officials to prepare a document of the areas that would come under the proposed PCPIR. The officials have been asked to prepare a list survey-wise in each village that would come under the region and said that a review would be undertaken with officials after such a document was prepared.
In reply to a question, former Vice Chairman Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority and Vice Chairman PCPIR SDA and present Visakhapatnam District Collector N Yuvaraj said that the Environment Impact Assessment report and the Marine impact assessment report were already put up on the website. He directed the concerned officials to make available the reports to every person who asked for it, including political parties and the media.
The role of VUDA was limited to drawing up the Master Plan, getting the Environment Impact Assessment, Marine Impact Assessment done and conducting Public Hearing. The actual land acquisition would be taken up by APIIC, Dr Yuvaraj said.
After including the NTPC, Visakhapatnam Steel Plant and the existing pharma and other industrial clusters in the region, the Government would need to acquire only 9000 acres in the district, the Collector said. He said that apprehensions among the public that the entire 1 lakh acres of the proposed project would have to be acquired was unfounded.
The identification of Anchor Client for PCPIR would have to be cleared by the Government of India and this was awaited, the Minister pointed out. Further, the Fisheries Department had proposed development works for fishermen at an outlay of Rs 250 crore and proposal sent to Centre for funding. The Central clearance for it was awaited.
After realising that there was a lot of ground to be covered in this subject the Minister decided that a review meeting would be held again after receiving information on such pending issues.
VUDA incharge Vice Chairman M V Seshagiri Babu, and other senior officials were also present.
