Arms depot project invites farmers’ ire

BHOGAPURAM (VIZIANAGARAM): Another major chunk of lush green expanse is set to go under the hammer for an arms depot project in the northern coastal districts. The district administration has been asked to scout for 3,000 acres for the Navy project, something that has sparked protests amongst the local farmers and fisherfolk in Vizianagaram district’s Bhogapuram mandal.
The Navy is planning to set up a second naval armament depot (NAD) at Bhogapuram (the first one is at Visakhapatnam) much to the chagrin of locals who claim that the project would deprive them of their livelihood. Joint collector J Sobha and revenue divisional officer Raja Kumari were recently mobbed by irate villagers when they went to conduct a survey in Dallipeta, Mukkam, Kondrajupeta, Bollinkalapalem, Maradapalem and Rallapalem villages.
Sources said the Navy is eyeing land in four villages, Kavulavada, Gudepuvalasa, Kancheru and Kancherupalem, for their proximity to the sea. An extent of 12-km radius from the shore to the sea would be treated as a restricted zone once the project comes up.
“If the government goes ahead with land acquisition, the fate of more than 2,500 families, consisting of small and marginal farmers, would be sealed,” Congress leader U Suryanarayana told TOI. Sources said that the naval authorities conducted aerial surveys to zero in on Bhogapuram for the project.