UPPADA
Thousands of fishers on Friday intensified their week-long protest by burning abandoned fishing boats at Uppada village. They fear a threat to marine life due to the operations of a pharma company coming up in the Kakinada Special Economic Zone (KSEZ) in Kakinada district.
Lyfius Pharma Private Limited (LPPL), formerly Aurobindo Antibiotics Private Limited, is yet to commence its operations at the site. It has recently set up a desalination plant near the Kona port area to draw seawater for its plant construction work in the SEZ.
In protest against it, scores of fishers gathered at the Uppada centre, and set abandoned boats on fire on the road. They raised slogans alleging that the ongoing industrial activity would pose a threat to the marine life and fish catch in the sea.
Kakinada District Fisheries Officer K. Karunakar Rao told The Hindu, “The Aurobindo group has set up a desalination plant on the coastline in the KSEZ in Thondangi mandal. The pipeline of the plant is meant to draw seawater and will not release any effluents. We have been creating awareness on it among the fisherfolk.”
The Aurobindo group official spokesperson told The Hindu that the State government had asked it to release the effluents, generated from LPPL, at Nakkapalli point by laying a ₹250-crore separate pipeline without affecting the local marine life.
“Production is yet to commence at LPPL. We are only drawing seawater for construction activity now as per the guidelines of the State government,” added the spokesperson.
