Concern Over Yanam Establishing Sewage Plant on AP Borders
There have been attempts for the past five years to set up the STP and three places were shortlisted.
Kakinada:The administration of Yanam, an enclave of the Union Territory of Puducherry, is reportedly establishing a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) close to the Andhra Pradesh border, causing concern among the people of Tallarevu Mandal.
There have been attempts for the past five years to set up the STP and three places were shortlisted. But the people of Yanam have opposed this in their localities, saying this would cause huge pollution of the atmosphere.
Then MLA Gollapalli Srinivasa Ashok respected the people’s voice and got the proposal withdrawn. Former MLA GS Ashok told Deccan Chronicle that the STP should be constructed with the people’s approval and nod from Andhra Pradesh, in particular the Tallarevu Mandal. Else, law and order issues could arise and the project may be halted midway, he said.
According to sources, present MLA Malladi Krishna Rao allegedly made a bid to set up the STP in Toorupupeta village in Polekurru Panchayat in Tallarevu mandal of Kakinada district.
When the late YS Rajasekhara Reddy was the CM, he gave 55 acres of land to Yanam for drinking water purposes, but not for other constructions. But the Kakinada district authorities did not consider the voice of the people of the mandal and imposed Section 144 banning protests and indirectly cleared the way for Yanam to proceed with their STP plans.
Social activist of Tallarevu mandal, Gandham Rambabu, submitted a representation to the Kakinada collector Harindhera Prasad to protect the AP site and its borders and halt the STP project of Yanam. He made it clear that the area does not fall under Yanam territory and the STP is located within the regulated zone of the river, and this would add a new twist to the interstate boundary dispute between AP and Yanam.
The site, he said, is situated close to the Coringa river adjacent to the NH 216 bridge at Toorpu Peta.
He also stated that though Yanam claims that the land proposed for the STP belongs to them, its officials could not submit valid documents to prove this. “It is most unfortunate the revenue department of AP and the others concerned have remained silent despite the serious violations being committed by the Yanam authorities.”
He also said that the river is subject to alternating high and low tides at intervals of approximately six hours, resulting in continuous fluctuations in the river water level. “Under such tidal conditions, encroaching upon the embankment is likely to weaken its structural strength, obstruct effective flood management, accelerate erosion and increase the risk of embankment failure, thereby posing a serious threat to life and property.”
