Protesting Tribals Oppose Adani Hydro Power Project
Venkanna cautioned that farmers and residents across several panchayats would face devastating losses if the project goes as per plan.
Visakhapatnam: Members of the tribal community living in Chintalapudi and Marika villages staged a protest, opposing the construction of Adani hydro power plant. The protesters were armed with traditional bows and arrows. Citing concerns about the potential threat to irrigation on the Sarada River as a key reason for halting the construction. On Sunday, protesters from Kottur, Chintalapudi along with the CPM district secretary D. Venkanna demanded that the government should immediately cancel the project.
The proposed project coming up on 213 acres of land between Chintalapudi and Marika under Vepada Mandal has created fears that the water supply to the Raivada irrigation system will be severely impacted. The protesters alleged that the ‘secret surveys’ led to the project’s approvals without proper consultation. Encroachment upon the dense forest land, the protesters questioned the government’s commitment towards tribal rights under the Forest Rights Act.
Y. Erru Naidu, a protester, said the Raivada project would come under Adani’s control, rendering the land barren. The protesters made an appale to local representatives, including sarpanchs and members of the water association, to intervene into the matter and resist the project’s advancement.
Venkanna cautioned that farmers and residents across several panchayats would face devastating losses if the project goes as per plan.