AP Pollution Control Board held a public hearing on the expansion of HPCL Visakh Refinery on Friday amid apprehensions over pollution control measures.
Though tight security marked the hearing chaired by Joint Collector J. Nivas, there was no disruption in the proceedings unlike environmental hearings held elsewhere for various projects.
Allaying fears over pollution, HPCL Executive Director G. Sriganesh said they would invest Rs.18,412 crore to increase the capacity from 8.3 million tonne to 15 million tonne and modernise the existing facilities to ensure better environmental management.
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After nearly four-hour-long hearing held at Malkapuram, Mr. Nivas said he had recorded the proceedings and would convey the same to the government. Several people, while making it very clear that they were not opposed to expansion and upgrading of facilities, sought jobs to the locals, stringent measures to improve emission standards, construction of super-speciality hospital in the neighbourhood and spending of substantial amount on CSR.
Past experience
Recalling the nightmarish experience after vapour cloud explosion in 1997 in which 61 people died and cooling tower collapse in 2013 which claimed 27 lives, resident of Kranti Nagar and CITU activist M. Jaggu Naidu said the management should specify the steps to improve the safety apparatus.
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“We have doubts as people living in the vicinity are forced to breathe polluted air. We want concrete measures with specific timeline to improve quality of living in ward Nos. 46 to 49,” said Srinivasa Nagar (West) Residents’ Welfare Association president K. Ramakrishnam Raju.
Defending expansion and modernisation to improve the techno-economic parameters of refining, Visakha West MLA P.G.V.R. Naidu (Gana Babu) said the management should give preference to locals in jobs, sanction Rs.60 crore for modernisation of storm water drainage and construction of a hospital with a ward for burns.
Former corporators Badrinath, Pilla Kanaraju, S. Pydiraju, human rights activist T. Srirama Murthy, BJYM leader P.V.N. Madhav, Mangal Kakkar of Eastern Naval Command, NGO activist Ram Prabha and others spoke.