Less than a hundred local people on Friday turned up at the public hearing on the environmental impact of the proposed expansion of the Machilipatnam harbour, conducted by the A.P. Pollution Control Board at the harbour here. Of them, only nine persons had come out with their opinion and demands on the proposed ₹252 crore project aimed at expanding the existing harbour to accommodate 550 vessels and increasing the fish handling capacity from 15,000 tonnes per year to 25,000.
Environmental engineers, Fisheries Department Joint Director Yakub Basha, WAPCOS, and consulting firm representative I. Suribabu were present at the public hearing chaired by District Revenue Officer B.R. Ambedkar.
Local boat owners Lanke Ramudu and L. Venkateswara Rao demanded an assurance on dredging of the sand deposited near the harbour. T. Edukondalu, former president of Boat Owners’ Association of Gilakaladindi, also demanded a better navigational way which could be achieved through dredging, and expressed his support for the project.
Lack of awareness
Many among the gathering told The Hindu that they did not have any idea about the expansion project but had come there to urge the officials to take up the long-pending issue of dredging at the sea entrance.
Ironically, not even a single woman was sighted at the hearing.
Concluding the public hearing, Mr. Yakub Basha had promised that the issues regarding water and air pollution would be tackled by employing a better mechanism.
Mr. Ambedkar said that the video and the minutes copy of the public hearing would be submitted to the Ministry of Environment and Forest and Climate Change to obtain environment clearance for the expansion of the harbour.
