Bitter with their experience of various industries affecting their livelihood and environment, villagers in the areas that fall under Visakhapatnam-Kakinada Petroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemical Investment Region (V-K PCIPIR) are opposing it, according to a team that made a visit on Saturday and Sunday.
The team comprised Organisation for Protection of Democratic Rights (OPDR) general secretary Bhaskara Rao, M. Srinivasulu and Rama Kumar (Anantapur), Eswar (Kadapa), all from OPDR, APCLC district president Srirama Murthy, J.V. Ratnam (Movement for People-centred Development), S. V. Ramana (Dalita Vimukti) and Mallanna (IFTU).
The team visited Peda Gantyada, Parawada, Achyutapuram, Rambilli and S. Rayavaram mandals.
Gram sabhas not heldThe team alleged no tom-tom was carried out in villages, gram sabhas were not held and notices were merely displayed in panchayat offices and this had kept people in the dark about what PCPIR was all about. People affected by pollution caused by thermal power plant at Tadi, Tanam, Parawada were apprehensive of the PCPIR, Mr. Bhaskara Rao said in a statement issued on behalf of the team. Some of the villages were not mentioned in the draft plan, he said.
Though the government was asserting that villages would not be shifted, people are worried that loss of livelihood owing to pollution would compel them to move out. Besides thousands of acres were acquired for special economic zones and the pharma city promising large-scale employment but had not materialised, villagers told the team.
Stating that PCPIR would affect the right to life of people and the team called for a movement to protect the food corridor.
