Police trying to pacify the protesters at the venue for public hearing on the cement grinding project of Ambuja Cements Limited, at Pedagantyada on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The environmental public hearing for the Gangavaram Cement Grinding (GCG) unit of Ambuja Cements Limited (Adani Group) proposed at Pedagantyada village in Visakhapatnam city limits, scheduled for Wednesday has been postponed, Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) officials said at the public hearing venue.The decision was taken in the wake of protests by hundreds of people, including local residents, elected representatives, GVMC Corporators, leaders of various political parties, including the Jana Sena Party (JSP) and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) of the ruling alliance.“The public hearing has been postponed. We will inform about the next schedule later through an official notification,” APPCB Visakhapatnam regional office environmental engineer P.V. Mukunda Rao told The Hindu.The APPCB postponed the public hearing after participants registered strong opposition to the project and demanded that the State and Central governments withdraw the proposal immediately.The participants reached the public hearing venue at 8 a.m., three hours ahead of the scheduled time of the meeting. The activists stopped the vehicles of the officials and removed the banners and chairs. Around 350 police personnel were deployed at the venue, anticipating protests as the local residents had been opposing the project.The protesters raised slogans against the Andhra Pradesh government and the Centre. Some of them threw chairs and vandalised the venue to register their protest against the ₹1,000-crore project proposed to be set up on 8 acres of land of Adani Gangavaram Port.Activists feared that the project would cause severe damage to the environment and public health in the densely populated areas of Gajuwaka and its surroundings. The Human Rights Forum (HRF) and other groups argued that the toxic emissions from the plant would seriously harm the health of the residents, leading to respiratory, heart diseases and cancers.“The environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the project is flawed as it ignores issues affecting the nearby residents and workers. The plant would produce 4,000 tonnes of fly ash daily, apart from toxic pollutants. There are also concerns about increased coal and ash dust from truck traffic. Apart from this, the plant may cause severe water shortage for residents,” B.A. Trinadha Swamy, president of the Gajuwaka zone of the Visakhapatnam Apartment Residents’ Welfare Association (VARWA), told the media.Later in the evening, Visakhapatnam Joint Collector K. Mayur Ashok held a meeting on the project issue with the key leaders, including local corporators, the officials of revenue, APPCB and other departments at the Collectorate.“The Joint Collector told us that the new date of the public hearing will be announced later. We will form a JAC to raise our voice against the project. We are all equal, regardless of party affiliation. Deputy Mayor Dalli Govinda Reddy from JSP , and YSRCP Gajuwaka coordinator Tippala Devan Reddy also attended in the meeting,” GVMC 75th Ward Corporator Puli Venktramana Reddy said.Meanwhile, TDP State president Palla Srinivasa Rao urged the management of the proposed cement grinding unit to first create awareness among the public before conducting public hearings. He warned the people not to fall into the trap of some fraudulent groups and vested interests. “It is the democratic right of citizens to express their views on matters that shape their future,” he said. Published - October 09, 2025 12:21 am IST
