Following the footsteps of the
Dumbriguda girijans who asserted their opinion to government officials on Tuesday, the fisherfolk residing in villages near the Gangavaram Port, Visakhapatnam, also declared that they would not be trampled upon.
The communities, whose livelihood depends on fishing, disrupted the public hearing that was being conducted by the AP Pollution Control Board on Wednesday on the expansion of the Gangavaram Port.
Gangavaram Port Limited (GPL), the deepest port in the country, had proposed to add 4 more berths to its 5 berths, with an investment of Rs. 995 crores. Post-expansion, GPL will be able to handle 41 million tonnes of cargo, as against the 15 million tonnes it currently handles.
The state government, which has a 11% stake in GPL, stands to benefit with the expansion, as the concession fee that it receives from the company will increase, as will the lease amount for the area GPL occupies.
GPL Vice President (Finance) Janardhana Rao stated that the company had adopted the Environmental Management Plan (EMP) to minimise environmental impacts.
However, the residents of the villages close to the port expressed concern that the expansion would result in the escalation of pollution levels in the waters.
They were doubtful if simply voicing their dissent would attract the attention of the government, and proceeded to disrupt the public hearing. Police intervened and forcibly evicted the villagers and political leaders who sought to sabotage the meeting.
Refusing to withdraw, the villagers set up camp outside the venue of the public hearing. NGOs - Forum for Better Visakha and Forum for Sustainable Development - too vehemently opposed the expansion of the port.