The proposed expansion of the third unit of Hetero Drugs, and also of Hetero Labs, near Nakkapalli in Visakhapatnam district was opposed by the public at a public hearing conducted by the AP Pollution Control Board on Thursday.

Mr. P. Bhaskar, the joint collector, presided over the public hearing.

There was stiff opposition to the conducting of the public hearing and the joint collector's car was obstructed for some time by the acitivists and the agitated villagers for some time. Mr. Bhaskar gave them an assurance that their views would be faithfully recorded and submitted to the Government. Then he was allowed to conduct the proceedings. But most of the activists and the public stayed away. Only 25-30 persons attended the public hearing conducted at two places.

All the speakers opposed the unit expansion, meant to take the capacity to 500 tonnes a month from the present 60 tonnes, and alleged that the Hetero Drugs management was not properly treating the effluents and was letting them out into the Bay of Bengal. The fisheries resources were vanishing as a result of the pollution and the livelihood of fishermen was threatened. The local public were also suffering from respiratory ailments and other diseases and the management was unconcerned, they alleged.

Besides, the management had not honoured any of the promises made in 2007 regarding provision of employment to the locals and 90 per cent of the staff were from other areas. The local people and the activists urged the Government not to permit expansion of the unit.

When the company's environmental consultant tried to explain the technologies being used for treating the effluents before letting them out into the sea, he was not allowd to do so by the irate public. They said the technologies remained on paper and nothing was being done at the ground level to curb pollution.

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