The villagers who attended the public hearing unanimously opposed the proposed expansion of the pharmaceutical firm, fearing further health degradation.
The public hearing that was conducted in Nakkapali (Visakhapatnam) on Thursday, by Joint Collector Pola Bhaskar, concluded with the irate villagers gathered attempting to attack the officials seated on the platform.
The public hearing was conducted on the proposed expansion of Hetero, a private research-based pharmaceutical company, situated in the village of Narsapuram, Nakkapalli mandal.
The company seeks to expand the capacity of its 3rd and 6th units to 500 tonnes and 480 tonnes, respectively. The capacity of both the units is currently 60 tonnes.
The villagers who attended the public hearing unanimously opposed the proposed expansion, and demanded that the firm be closed down as it is polluting the surrounding villages and causing major health problems.
The residents of the villages close to the firm claim that there was a spurt recorded in miscarriages, jaundice and respiratory diseases ever since the establishment of the plant.
With the officials refusing to acknowledge their distress, the angry crowd barged onto the dias, and the police had to intervene to restore normalcy to the event.
Forum for Better Visakha condemned the conduction of 2 hearings from the same platform in a single day. The authorities concerned were charged with trying to expedite the process of acquiring the nod for the expansion of the plant and the laboratory.
filed in:Environment, Industry & Business, Public Hearing