On the occasion of the Human Rights Forum (HRF) completing 10 years, we have undertaken a State-wide campaign against the ongoing destructive development policies being pursued by the government.
The HRF is conducting a series of prachara yatras at several places across the State all through November focusing upon a critique of ‘destructive development and forced displacement’. As part of this, the HRF is embarking on a 2-day prachara yatra in Srikakulam district on November 29 and 30. The yatra will begin at Baruva on Saturday morning and will cover villages in the mandals of Sompeta, Kanchili, Kaviti, Palasa, Vajrapukothur and Santhabommali on the first day. The HRF is seeking cancellation of mega thermal power plants proposed in Sompeta and Santhabommali mandals and also beach sand mining in Vajrapukothuru mandal, also in Srikakulam district.
The campaign will continue on November 30 in the mandals of Gara, Etcherla, Laveru and Ranasthalam where highly polluting industries are violating environmental laws, destroying both farm land as well as marine ecology and undermining the livelihood rights of fisher-folk.
The HRF has held such campaigns earlier this month in Adilabad, Karimnagar and Warangal districts against the highly destructive opencast coal mining of Singareni Collieries and also in Nizampatnam mandal of Guntur district against the Vanpic project (Vadarevu Nizampatnam Port Industrial Corridor). Both opencast coal mining and Vanpic are deeply violative of the basic rights of people.
The State government’s claim that the Coastal Corridor process has been shelved is a brazen lie. The November 29-30 yatra in Srikakulam district will be centered on the specific demands of scrapping GO 373 as it facilitates the Bhimili-Kakinada industrial corridor and the Vanpic project as well as the SEZ Act since they are all integral to Coastal Corridor process.
Among others, HRF State general secretary K Balagopal and HRF State vice-president S Jeevan Kumar will be participating in the two-day yatra in Srikakulam district.
VS Krishna
(HRF State secretary)
KV Jagannadha Rao
(HRF Srikakulam dist. secretary)
27.11.2008
Srikakulam