The authorities of the Kakinada special economic zone (KSEZ) have allegedly unleashed ecological havoc on the lands acquired by them in the two mandals of U. Kothapalli and Thondangi mandals in East Godavari district.

According to sources, they have leveled the grounds by cutting down thousands of trees and even destroyed crops over 3,000 acres.

“Utterly unmindful of the ecological damage they are doing, they went on the rampage and destroyed everything,” said eminent environmentalist Dr T. Patanjali Sastry. He condemned the eco havoc.

Farmers in the area are aghast at the destruction wrought by KSEZ authorities. Some farmers were in tears.

“What we raised with love and care over the years has been ruined in no time,” said Peketi Musaliah, a 60-year-old farmer.

He regretted that they had not even left a few trees in the area. The area, located in the sea coast used to be green and full of trees like cashewnut, palm trees, mango, teak, neem and others. Now it is almost a desert.

Sources said that the natural habitat of birds and beasts in the area have also been destroyed.

The Wild Andhra Pradesh president, Mr K. Mrutyunjaya Rao, said that the bio-diversity of the region would be adversely affected by such acts.

Environmentalists say that if KSEZ authorities wanted land for constructing units, they should have carefully drawn up a blueprint to minimise damage to the flora and fauna of the area.

However, KSEZ authorities said that they had not cut trees. “We gave farmers the chance to cut trees.”

They said that after setting up units in the KSEZ area, they would raise a green belt in the area to mitigate industrial pollution.

The district forest department officials say that they have not been informed about tree cutting by KSEZ authorities.