Centre favourable to Rs 320 cr sea protection wall: Dy CM

Kakinada: Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan said that the Central government has responded positively to the construction of a sea protection wall worth Rs 323 crore along the Uppada–Konapapapeta stretch. He said coastal protection works have already begun to prevent sea erosion in the area.

Speaking at ‘Mata-Manthi,’ an interactive meeting with fishermen at the Kakinada Collectorate on Thursday, the Deputy CM assured that the government would conduct inspections on industrial waste treatment in three phases. He stressed that he has no intention of misleading people and would rather quit politics than fail to do justice.

He promised to prepare a concrete plan within 100 days to reduce pollution levels in the coastal region. He also said that Rs 320 crore in funds from the Union Home Ministry are awaited for Uppada coastal protection works, and that he would soon visit Delhi to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah to expedite the process.

The Deputy CM assured that efforts would be made to complete the sea wall project within the next three years. He said it was unfortunate that fishermen, who remained silent for years despite facing hardships, were now forced to protest. He urged them to recognise the sincere efforts being made by the coalition government to resolve their issues.

Pawan Kalyan distributed ex gratia cheques of Rs 5 lakh each (totalling Rs 90 lakh) to 18 families of fishermen who lost their lives in sea accidents under the Group Accident Insurance Scheme.

Representatives from Uppada, Konapapapeta, Ameenabad, and Moolapeta fishing villages, including K Rambabu, K Venkataramana, Ch David, Kolli Rambabu, Prasad, Surada Raju, Mummidi Johnson, Konda Venkataramana, Bade Vijay Kumar, Paidipalli Raju, and the fisherwomen leader Ummidi Amareshwari detailed their grievances to the Deputy CM. They expressed regret for staging protests hastily and requested him to resolve their issues.

The fishermen explained that industries set up in the SEZ along the coast have been releasing untreated waste into the sea, causing severe depletion of marine wealth over the past five years and threatening their livelihood.

They complained that even after the two-month fishing ban, there were no fish available, leaving them without income. They demanded that industries also be restricted from releasing waste during the fishing ban period.

They pointed out design flaws in the newly constructed fishing harbour that were increasing sea turbulence and endangering boats, urging a redesign. Fishermen also reported damage to their nets due to pipelines laid by industries in the sea. They sought housing for families who lost homes due to sea erosion in Uppada and Konapapapeta and requested resolution of burial ground issues in Uppada and Ameenabad.

The fishermen also urged the government to provide compensation similar to that given by ONGC, which pays Rs 11,500 per month to affected families in Yanam and Mummidivaram, and to extend this to families in Uppada and Thondangi. They demanded that educated fisher youth be given training and employment opportunities in coastal industries.

The Deputy CM patiently heard their concerns and discussed them with officials.

He directed the State Pollution Control Board (PCB) to conduct an environmental audit on industrial waste discharge into the sea and submit a preliminary report within three days. He also said he would return within three days to personally inspect the polluted areas by boat. He assured that a review meeting on Uppada’s sea protection wall project would be held on October 14.

Kakinada MP Tangella Uday Srinivas, District Collector Shanmohan, SP Bindu Madhav, Government Whips Datla Subba Raju and Yanamala Divya, MLCs Pidugu Hari Prasad, Karri Padmashree, Perabattula Rajasekhar, MLAs Nimmakayala Chinarajappa, Pantham Nanaji, and Vanamadi Kondababu, DCCB Chairman Tummala Ramaswamy, Civil Supplies Corporation Chairman Thota Sudhir, ZP Vice-Chairman Burra Anubabu, former MLAs SVSN Varma and Pendem Dorababu, and Pithapuram Jana Sena in-charge Marreddy Srinivas were present.

It may be recalled that fishermen from Uppada had recently staged a massive protest demanding the resolution of their problems caused by industrial waste from pharma companies. They urged the Deputy CM, who is also the MLA of Pithapuram, to visit them immediately. Responding to their agitation, Pawan Kalyan had earlier promised to form a committee and ensure justice. Keeping his word, he visited Kakinada on Thursday and interacted with the fishermen.