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Residents of Pedda Dhanwada and surrounding villages in Telangana’s Jogulamba Gadwal district damaged the worksite of a company on June 4, Wednesday, protesting the establishment of an ethanol plant.
Farmers from surrounding villages gathered in large numbers and allegedly damaged the vehicles of the company setting up the plant. They also allegedly set fire to tents and a container, and chased after the company’s employees. No injuries were reported in the incident.
Residents have been protesting the proposed establishment of an ethanol plant in their region for several months over fear of air, water and land pollution affecting their fertile, irrigated agricultural land.
Jogulamba Gadwal Superintendent of Police T Srinivas Rao told The Hindu that the company, Gayatri Renewable Fuels and Allied Industries Private Limited, has been asked to vacate the area for now.
Protesters told the media that they have been opposing the factory for months, staging relay hunger strikes and approaching authorities including Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu.
On June 4, the residents confronted the company staff as they saw staff and material such as containers being brought in for setting up some preliminary infrastructure to begin work on the plant. “We went to ask why they were bringing in the containers. The company had hired private staff who tried to threaten us. That enraged people,” one resident said.
Residents gathered in large numbers and staged the protest, which escalated into property damage.
Protesters expressed concern that the ethanol plant would affect their irrigation sources such as the Tungabhadra river and the Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme.
They urged authorities to cancel the permission given to the company.
They sat on the road, raising slogans to demand an immediate halt to the work. Police rushed to the spot and tried to curb the protest.
One police officer told the media that the protesters had brought sticks, petrol, and chilli powder. He alleged that they attacked company staff and also hurt police officers with sticks and stones.
A case has been registered against them at the Rajoli police station, he said.
The villagers said that they would continue their protest till the work is stopped on the ethanol plant.
They have been protesting against the proposed plant since last year. The BJP has extended support to the farmers and demanded the cancellation of the factory’s approval.
According to them, the regulations say that villages should not exist within a 10 km radius of the factory, it should not have nearby roads, land must not be suitable for agriculture and approvals from the local village panchayat are required.
Villagers say that the proposed plant will have harmful effects on the area. They fear that the plant would lead to pollution and affect fertile agricultural land.
With IANS inputs