Villagers Protest against blasts at open cast mine

Manuguru: Residents of the Gandhinagar, Bhagat Singh Nagar and Kalimatha, who are being affected by the blasts in the open cast mine of the Singareni Collieries Company Limited in this area, have been on relay hunger strike for the last 14 days demanding immediate stoppage of the blasts.

They said the blasts have been damaging their houses and the gases and chemicals that arise after blasting were polluting air and water.

They claimed that they were suffering from skin-related and breathing ailments by inhaling the dust raised by the blasts and already three women had developed lung cancer, while others suffered from various diseases due to the toxic gases
Speaking to The Hans India, many residents like Koti, Kalpana and Madhavi said they were vomiting frequently unable to stand the foul smell generated by some chemicals at the time of blasts.

There were also many instances of stones hitting houses in the villages after every blast.

On Sunday, the residents along with CPI (ML-New Democracy leader Madhu accused the SCCL management of ignoring their pleas despite they submitting several representations to stop the blasts.

The protestors alleged that the SCCL had ignored the orders of former Joint Collector Divya and officials, who directed the company to compensate and rehabilitate the villagers immediately as their health was getting affected.

The Collieries, they pointed out, had also ignored the stand of an all-party Opposition study which found the demand just.

The agitators stated that the residents had chosen to ignore the demand in the interest of development, taking a humanitarian point of view, after the officials said the blast work would be completed in three months.

“Yet the SCCL management had ignored the just demand, while laying stress on production targets, earning of profits and selfish motives,” the agitating residents told The Hans India.

Stating that the company had failed to plant even a single sapling their villagers, they questioned the management, which denied any damage was being caused by the blasts, as to why it shifted some residents of the adjacent Pilot Colony after asking them to vacate.

The protestors wanted the government to either rehabilitate them or sanction house sites.

They called for intervention of the District Collector to look into the just demands, besides taking action against the SCCL trade union leaders for allegedly extending support to the management.