[On 28 February, villagers protesting a thermal power plant in Kakarapalli, Andhra Pradesh, faced severe repression and police firing in which two were killed and many injured. On 2 March, a CPI(ML) team comprising N Murthy, D Harinath, B Vasudevarao, R Nagamani, T Sanyasirao, M Ramarao P Kameswarrao, K Dushyanth, P Sundaramma and others visited the affected people of the concerned villages. A report follows.]

The people of Kakarapalli, Vadditandra, Akasalakkavaram, Seerapuvanipeta of Santha Bommali mandal of Srikakulam district had been waging a determined struggle against a proposed thermal power plant by the East Coast Energy Pvt Ltd, which enjoyed strong political backing. East Coast Energy, promoter of a thermal power plant with an investment of Rs 11, 500 crores with the target of 660 MW production in the first phase, claimed to have acquired 2550 acres waste land from the government and initiated work on the plant three years back. Initially the people of the area were promised development, reasonable compensation and employment opportunities. Resolutions were passed in panchayats in favour of the factory by managing representatives of the local of bodies. It was claimed that all necessary clearances had been procured in favour of the plant. But the realities are quite otherwise.

Devastation of Nature and Agriculture

A village named Thene Neelapuram, very close to the plant site, houses a bird sanctuary visited by migratory birds from Siberia. The acquired area of 2550 acres government lands by the plant authorities is illegal because the said lands were under the lease of nearly 100 fishermen’s societies right from 1948 till the present. Now the government is refusing to renew the lease of those lands. Actually these lands are called Thampara Bhoomulu (wetlands created by seven streams including the Vamsadhara river which flow to join the Bay of Bengal) by local people and are breeding ground for a rare variety of tortoise and some types of fish. These are the lands which provide livelihood for nearly 800 families. Forest and environmental Acts and laws are being grossly violated. A detailed report by the Forest department objecting to the project was discarded.

As the level of the construction site is raised and a long wall constructed, water flow to the sea gets obstructed due to which 3000 acres of paddy lands were drowned and the crop of 10000 acres partly affected. The livelihood of thousands of peasants was affected as a result.

Resistance and Repression

The bloodstains at the Beela lands in Sompeta are yet to fade, where the people of Sompeta fought a heroic battle to protect lands, livelihood and environment from the Nagarjuna Construction Company and the government. Fisherfolk had played a leading role in that struggle which involved prolonged hunger strikes of 570 days. Even at the cost of severe repression and bloodshed the people there continue to struggle. Thus Sompeta showed the way to Kakarapalli.

On 15th August 2010 people of 20 panchayats affected by the thermal power plant formed a struggle committee and a camp was opened for hunger fasts. People started participating in the hunger fasts en masse with a festive mood demanding that the government cancel the plant. A village named Vaddithandra is the centre of the struggle and hosted the hunger fast camp for 196 days. Alongside the hunger fast, construction work at the plant was stopped by a road blockade. Determined to suppress the movement, the Government mobilised around 2000 police to seize the entire area, not allowing the people to leave the villages even for medical emergencies. Even school and college students were not allowed to move. The police destroyed the hunger fast camp and arrested the people. They raided the villages and arrested the people including women.

People’s resistance to this police repression caused a police firing on 25 February in which many were injured with rubber bullets. Even this repression couldn’t sway the people to take back their struggle.

The police then began raiding the villages to arrest the leader of the movement named Ramireddy who is also a sarpanch of Akasalakkavaram village. On 27 February people involved in the resistance faced indiscriminate firing by the police, in which two people died and number of people got injured. Police fired tear gas shells on the villages in which 27 houses were burnt and paddy crop of 100 acres was destroyed by the fire. After the police firing, police raided the villages, beat up people and arrested them. Even old women were not spared and all were implicated in many false cases.

People’s Determination

Even in the face of severe repression and bloodshed, people of the area continue to be determined to continue the struggle until the thermal power plant is lifted from their area. After the police firing when leaders of the ruling parties arrived in the villages to console the people, they were heckled and questioned by the people. When a Congress minister, Pardhasaradhi visited the villages he was gheraoed by the people. Even Chandrababu Naidu, ex-chief minister of TDP was not spared by the people. People demanded that Chandrababu expel TDP leader Yerram Naidu who has stakes in the factory and is a strong supporter of the thermal plant.

People have already reopened the hunger fast camp.

Srikakulam has been earmarked for 6 thermal power plants and 1 atomic power plant. People of Sompeta and Kakarapalli have shown that people will reject these destructive projects in Srikakulam and the rest of AP.