[A fact-finding team of the CPI(ML) comprising CC Members Comrades Kshitish Biswal, B. Bangar Rao, and M. Malleswar Rao, as well as AP State Committee member Murali Rao, Sanyasi Rao, 5 comrades of Srikakulam and some other comrades visited Sompeta after the firing. The team met with the bereaved families and also the injured in the hospitals. The team then visited the site allocated to the Nagarjuna Construction Company for the thermal power plant. M Malleswar Rao reports. – Ed/-]

The proposed site is full of coconut trees, cashew gardens, paddy and vegetable fields. The site has two big natural water bodies (wetlands), called bheela in the local language. The water of a small river, the Mahendra Tanaya, flows into the bheelas. The larger wetland called ‘Pedda Bheela’ covers 972 acres of surface area and the other one, called ‘Chinna Bheela’ covers 750 acres. The water from these bodies supplies irrigation for 5000 acres of farmland in 8 panchayats. The fishermen, who have formed a society since 1957, fish in these wetlands.

The Government, by agreeing to the construction of a thermal power plant, was planning to hand over these water bodies to the NCC for dumping ash; and was further handing over large tracts of the ecologically rich wetlands including agricultural lands to the company. If the plant were to come up, it would dump a huge amount of pollutants in the sea (which is 2 km away from the plant site), thereby destyoying marine life and affecting the livelihood of the community of two lakh fisher people.

Background

In 2008 February the YSR Government of AP declared its intention to establish a power plant in this area. After the 2009 Assembly elections officials and agents of the political leaders visited the villages and began propagating that these villages would be developed and jobs generated. The fact, however, is that the power plant would adversely affect the health and livelihood of 3 lakh people in 36 villages directly, while many more would be indirectly affected by health complications caused by pollution. Further, the Sompeta power plant is no isolated one: the Government is planning to establish a thermal power corridor from from Ichapuram to Srikakulam, with 6 thermal power and 2 nuclear power plants with a total planned capacity of 10000 MW within a radius of 90 kms. If all these plants are established there will be evictions in a big way, jeopardising people’s land and livelihood, as well as health and safety.

Gradually the issue gained momentum and local people cutting across party lines joined the struggle, participating in signature campaigns, demonstrations, bandhs. They undertook a relay hunger strike which is continuing till today (at the time of writing this hunger strike has entered its 228th day.) Our Party as well as CPI, CPIM and all other ML factions participated in the hunger strike. People from different villages who are organised on a broader platform called the Committee for the Protection of Environment also participated.

The Firing

On 13 July, all of a sudden police came in vehicles to the affected villages making an announcement on loudspeakers warning people not to go to the site. After that a flag march of the police was conducted around the site area. On 14 July some 3000 police were mobilised. As some people gathered in protest, the company hired some 250 persons from outside who threatened them. When people refused to disperse, the police and hired goons alike started to lathicharge. People ran towards the sea. There the fishermen joined them. They repulsed the police. In the meantime the police fired on some protestors who were approaching from the western side. Two persons named Gunna Irga Rao and Gonapa Krishnamurthy were killed. Another got bullet injuries. After that the police entered the villages and started beating the women, children, old men indiscriminately.

Srikakulam's History of Peasant Movement

The Sompeta struggle drew upon people's legacy of historic land struggles in the region. In the 1940s, this area has been witness to an anti-zamindari movement under the banner of the Rytu Sangham under the Congress led by N G Ranga which organised a padayatra from Ichapuram to Tada. Bendalam Gavarayya of Sompeta, Marpu Padmananbhan of Mandasa, Ganti Rajeswar Rao of Bareva, Pullela Shyam Sundar Rao of Ichapuram were the leaders of that movement at that time. Defying the practice of the Mandsa zamindar to collect tax for firewood collection, poor peasants entered the forests and gathered firewood. The Mandasa king sent his soldiers to attack these people, who resisted. Four people were killed including a woman named Gunnamma, popular in the area as Veera Gunnamma. The leaders mentioned above were also arrested and sent to Cuddalore jail in Tamilnadu district, where they met AK Gopalan and under his influence turned communists, forming the first unit of the communist party in the area in 1952 after coming out of jail.

From that period onward, the communist movement developed in different talukas of the Srikakulam district – Parvatipuram, Palakonda, Pathapatnam, and Salur talukas witnessed intense class struggle, while Sompeta, Warasanapetta, Tekkali, and Cheepurapalli saw democratic agitations led by communists. As is well known, Srikakulam was a major centre of the Naxalbari agitation that spread in the wake of 1967.

Conclusion

There is ample evidence of the close collusion of the Congress Government of AP with private corporations and the NCC power plant project in particular. The revenue minister of AP is a share holder in the project. The CM must take responsibility for the police firing and must resign, and the heroic struggle of the people of Sompeta will inspire people all over the State to intensify the struggle against corporate land grab and SEZs.