A large number of villagers, including many women, from Achayyapeta, Sundarayyapeta and surrounding villages took out a rally in Anakapalle on Monday demanding the Anakapalle Municipality not to dump garbage at Achayyapeta.
They gathered at the foothill of Satyanarayanaswamy temple hill and marched to the Tahisidar’s office where they staged a dharna. The protest was organised by the all-party people’s organisations front. The villagers raised slogans against Minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao who they alleged was behind the decision to dump the garbage at Achayyapeta. The rally participants formed a human chain at Nehru chowk due to which traffic came to a halt for one hour.
The villagers demanded withdrawal of cases against secretary of AP Vyavasaya Vrittidarula Union P.S. Ajay Kumar and 19 others and their immediate release from the local sub-jail.
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Convenor of the front Eggada Bhaskara Rao, CPI(M) leader A. Balakrishna and others said the judgment of a Division Bench of High Court, Municipal Act and the Rules on disposal of solid waste by the municipalities, which made it clear that a municipality should dispose of the garbage locally and cannot dump it outside its limits, were totally violated by the Anakapalle Municipality. The dumping yard has no sanction from the local Gram Panchayat or AP Pollution Control Board.
The police made elaborate bandobust to ensure that the rally concluded peacefully. Tension created when residents of Sarada Nagar (where the town’s dumping yard is located and being opposed by the locals) crossed with the villagers after completing their dharna, was quickly defused by the police.
The protest was supported by several associations, CPI(M), CPI, AITUC, Visakha Mahila Ikya Vedika, etc.
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Meanwhile the local court heard arguments on the bail application moved by Mr. Ajay Kumar and others and reserved the order for Tuesday.