Andhra Pradesh   

Activists pushed out of public hearing

Special Correspondent

Protesters wanted proceedings to be held at the plant site

VISAKHAPATNAM: Leaders of the CPI(M) and CPI, who participated in the public hearing on JSW Aluminum Limited's alumina refinery and co-generation plant on Tuesday, were jostled by pro-plant farmers, allegedly sent by the ruling party.

The Left leaders were forcibly removed from the venue by the police. Later, mild force was used to disperse the farmers who wanted to raise a few questions and tried to force their way into the venue.

The environmental public hearing on the refinery and the co-generation plant to be constructed in Sabbavaram mandal was held at the heavily guarded VUDA Children's Theatre.

The police took away the CPI and CPI (M) leaders — J.V. Satyanarayana Murthy, Ch. Raghavendra Rao, Ganga Rao and A. Balakrishna — and the farmers. The Left parties and other organisations had been opposing bauxite mining in the agency area and the alumina plant in Sabbavaram mandal in view of the possible damage to environment. They felt it would have been appropriate to conduct the public hearing near the project site instead of Visakhapatnam city.

Those supporting the plant had almost hijacked the proceedings, pushing two CPI(M) leaders out of the hall midway through the programme and blaming every one who opposed the bauxite mining and the alumina plant. Order was restored when Joint Collector Sunil Kumar Sultania, who presided over the programme, declared that he would decide who should speak.

CPI (M) leader M. Suryanarayana, who was pushed out of the hall, was called back after G. Satyanarayana Sarma, a Gandhian, made a protest. The public hearing was organised by the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board.

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