Jana Sena Party (JSP) president Pawan Kalyan on Saturday opposed the setting up of the Divi’s Laboratories Limited’s unit at Kotha Pakala village on the Kakinada coast in East Godavari district as it posed a hazard to the marine ecosystem and water sources.
Addressing a gathering of people who would be impacted if the pharmaceutical company was established, Mr. Pawan Kalyan appealed to Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy to shower his affection on people by evolving policies that were not hazardous.
‘Jagan’s promise’
Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy had vowed to fight against the pharma project in the run-up to the elections, the JSP president recalled, and wondered what was preventing the Chief Minister from committing himself to his plighted word.
“The Chief Minister is not my enemy. But I confront his policies that lack values and vision,” Mr. Pawan Kalyan said, and explained how the proposed factory would pose a hazard to environment and people’s livelihood as well.
“The pharma factory will utilise 55 lakh litres per day from the local water sources and release 45 lakh litres. The daily requirement is equal to the per-day need of the Samarlakota civic body. The effluents the factory will release pose a threat to water and marine life,” Mr. Pawan Kalyan observed.
Referring to the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report prepared by experts of Ramky, the JSP leader said it would not pass the scientific test on the hazards of the project.
‘Set up expert panel’
“If the government is committed to going ahead with the project, it should constitute an expert team to prove that the project will not harm the marine ecosystem and water sources,” said Mr. Pawan Kalyan.
Stating that he was prepared to join the people’s protest against the project, Mr. Pawan Kalyan, however, insisted that it should not take a violent turn. “A final decision will be taken soon,” he said, and appealed to the local residents not to resort to any extreme step, but to intensify their fight.
“We will decide how to proceed and stop the project if the government decides to go ahead with it without realising the disastrous consequences it would have on the lives of the local communities,” he asserted.
Later, JSP Political Affairs Committee chairman N. Manohar screened a four-minute video that showed how Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy had promised to stop the project and explained the health hazards in the run-up to the elections.
‘Release protesters’
Earlier, Mr. Pawan Kalyan took out a rally from Annavaram to the project site, and interacted with the families of those who had been arrested following the recent violent incidents at the project site. He demanded that government immediately release the 36 protesters from prison.
