AP Pollution Board holds public meet on Anrak metal project

Visakhapatnam: The Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board is going ahead with its plan to hold a public hearing on the proposed aluminium refinery and smelter projects by Anrak group at Rachapalli village in the Makavaripalem mandal of Visakhapatnam district on Saturday, in spite of mounting protests by different groups.

The Human Rights Forum, Samata, a voluntary organisation, and the CPM and several others are objecting to the manner in which the public hearing is being held.

Mr V.S. Krishna, the convener of the Human Rights Forum, said the Pollution Control Board was holding the public hearing without a proper and comprehensive environment impact assessment study and without obtaining the requisite clearances for bauxite mining in the Jerrela block.

He alleged that the State was deliberately holding two public hearings — one for bauxite mining and the other for refinery and smelter projects — to confuse the public, as there was widespread opposition to the projects. The water source for the refinery and smelter projects was also not specified, but the Anrak group was promised 10 mgd of water. It was not clear where and how the water would be sourced from, he said. Therefore, a public hearing held in such a haphazard manner would not serve the purpose and the Government should reconsider its decision, he said. He also appealed to different sections — Girijans and others as well — to oppose the projects and register their protests at the public hearing, as “the projects would have a devastating impact on the livelihood of Girijans and others and result in ruination of the environment.”

The Uttarandhra Displaced Persons’ Welfare Association also raised many objections to the public hearing, alleging that “the EIA report contains false information regarding the source of water for the projects”. There was no point in holding the public hearing for these projects without getting clearances for bauxite mining, the association leader, Mr Ch. Narasinga Rao, said.

No proper survey, or study, was conducted on the environmental impact of the projects and therefore the Government should postpone the hearing, he said.

Samata, the NGO opposing the projects, made an appeal on similar grounds.