NTPC pollution spurs demand for relocation

VISAKHAPATNAM: The residents of Pittavanipalem

village

protested against the pollution caused by the National

Thermal Power

Corporation (

NTPC

)

plant

and demanded the government to shift their village.

Until the village is shifted, each family should be paid Rs 20,000 per month by the NTPC management, they added.

Around 350 villagers staged a protest at the Gandhi Statue near GVMC office on Monday and raised slogans against the NTPC Simhadri plant. “Around 12 to 13 villages have been affected by the pollution of power plant, especially Pittavanipalem. The groundwater, drinking water and irrigation water have been contaminated,” writer academy president VV Ramana Murthy said.

The tiny village is located near the ash pond area of the coal-fired plant of NTPC on the outskirts of Visakhapatnam city. The plant was commissioned in 2002 with two units subsequently two more units were added in 2011 and 2012.

“The slag of the ash pond has been covering the entire village, causing various diseases including skin allergies, lung related diseases, cancer among others. Many people have died due to pollution,” the Pittavanipalem village development association president Battu Satish Reddy said.

Social workers B Satya and EAS Sarma advised them to place their problem before political parties when they come to campaign for votes.