By IANS
Hyderabad : A public hearing on a proposed aluminium factory of the Jindal Group in Andhra Pradesh's Vizianagaram district Monday witnessed stormy scenes with a section of farmers strongly opposing the project.
Two groups of farmers also clashed during the public hearing organised by the district administration near Vizianagaram town in north coastal Andhra Pradesh to elicit people's views on the Rs.90 billion project.
A group enjoying support of the communist parties shouted slogans against the project and did not allow the officials to speak.
Tribal farmers in three villages in S. Kota mandal in the district have been staging protests against the aluminium factory. The agitation is led by the Communist Party of India (CPI) and Communist Party of India-Marxist(CPI-M) while environmentalists are also opposing the project on the ground that the factory would harm the forests.
The Left parties alleged that authorities were trying to forcibly acquire 1,264 acres of agricultural land in three villages. They argue that the factory coming up on 1,500 acres of land would ruin agriculture in the area and water for the factory would be diverted from Thatipudi and Chilakalagedda reservoirs, which serve agriculture in the region.
Authorities, however, clarified that the water will be supplied from the Greater Visakha Municipal Corporation's Godavari water project. The factory required 25 million gallons per day (gmd) of water.
It was in July 2005 that JSW Aluminium Limited of Jindal Group signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the state government for setting up a 1.4-million tonne aluminium refinery.
The total cost of the proposed project including the captive electricity plant is estimated at Rs.90 billion.
The project, with a phase one investment of Rs.40 billion in a refinery, was originally planned at Sabbavaram in the neighbouring district of Visakhapatnam but was later shifted to Vizianagaram district, bordering Orissa.
The group is also planning to own a berth at the Visakhapatnam port or the upcoming Gangavaram port for alumina exports.
CPI-M state secretary B.V. Raghavulu has said the project would adversely impact lives of tribals. In a letter to Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy recently, he alleged that officials were adopting coercive methods to acquire land.