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Angry villagers try to storm unit
High tension and utter chaos prevailed at the Deccan Fine Chemicals area near Rajanagaram village in the mandal on Monday with nearly 1,000 angry residents from surrounding villages including men, women, aged and youth raising slogans against the management and attempting to gatecrash into the factory premises.
Deccan Chemicals Fire mishap
- Police resort to mild caning to disperse the mob
- Villagers pull up Anakapalli MP Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao and local MLA Vangalapudi Anitha, demanding safety measures in industries
Visakhapatnam: High tension and utter chaos prevailed at the Deccan Fine Chemicals area near Rajanagaram village in the mandal on Monday with nearly 1,000 angry residents from surrounding villages including men, women, aged and youth raising slogans against the management and attempting to gatecrash into the factory premises.
The protest which began at 9 a.m. lasted till 3 p.m. with the protestors demanding the management to come out for a detailed discussion with the affected villagers in the presence of the District Collector. The Sunday’s fire mishap was the second accident in the factory in the last two years.
A faulty reactor exploded on April 12, 2014 which killed two people and left over 20 with burn injuries. The villagers complained to the media that they had breathing problem on Sunday night as they had to inhale fumes from the burning warehouse.
“Our lives are in danger and if the factory is not closed down, the villages will perish soon,’’ said K Appanna, a resident of Rajavaram. He threatened that the villagers would continue to fight till the factory is closed.
It may be mentioned here that the Deccan Fine Chemicals which was set up in between Kesavaram and Rajavaram villages of Payakaraopet mandal in the district about four years ago, manufactures agri-related pesticides and the factory runs in three shifts, each shift with 250 workers.
Company General Manager K Lakshmipathi Raju said this was not the appropriate time for discussions but assured that the management will certainly hold talks by inviting a 10-member team from each village to redress the issues amicably.
When the angry mob began pelting stones, the large posse of police present there on the bandobust duty under the supervision of Officer on Special Duty, Narsipatnam, Attada Babuji resorted to a mild caning to disperse the mob.
The protesting villagers gheraoed Narsipatnam RDO K Surya Rao demanding action against the erring management which was playing with the lives of innocent villagers without following any safety norms. They alleged that it will be more problematic in future for all surrounding villages as the company is further going for expansion for which public hearing is slated for February 23.
CPI district secretary A J Stalin alleged that the management in similar instances had earlier `managed’ a group of villagers by inviting them for talks and hence, he demanded that the talks should be held in the presence of the Collector without giving any go-by to the assurances.
“The villagers were suffering from health problems with the pollution emanated from the fire that reduced the chemicals to ashes last night. Further, movement of loaded vehicles were spoiling the roads causing dust pollution and accidents which should be controlled failing which the CPI will agitate on the issue,” he threatened.
