Police foiled the ‘Chalo Assembly’ rally planned by people from Tundurru from here on Wednesday demanding that the government stop construction of the Godavari Mega Aqua Food Park (GMAFP), saying it would cause groundwater pollution.
The Ananda Group was constructing the GMAFP, at a cost of around ₹1,000 crore in West Godavari district.
The villagers of Tundurru and the neighbouring hamlets Kamsali Betampudi and Jonnalagadda have been agitating for the last few months opposing the aqua processing unit.
On Wednesday, the villagers and farmers, led by the Aqua Food Park Vyetireka Committee, organised a protest at the Dharna Chowk in Vijayawada. When they tried to take out a procession, the police took them into custody and shifted them to different police stations.
The protesters alleged that the GMAFP would pollute the Gonteru canal, under which some thousands of acres of paddy and other crops were being irrigated. They alleged that the proposed park would pollute groundwater and create health hazards.
However, the Ananda Group argued that the State and Central governments had accorded permission to establish the aqua park after getting clearance reports from the departments concerned, including that of environment, and the park was being constructed after taking consent from the villagers in the ‘grama sabha’.
CPI(M) West Godavari district secretary B. Balaram alleged that the police arrested the farmers who were organising dharna peacefully. They behaved rudely with the women protesters and some agitators suffered bleeding injuries, he said.
The police said 38 protesters were taken into preventive custody when they tried to march towards the Assembly.
They were shifted to the Thotlavalluru police station.
“The Aqua Food Park Vyatereka Committee took permission for organising dharna at the Dharna Chowk. Police took them into custody, when the agitators tried to take out a procession towards Velagapudi,” a police officer said.
