Andhra Pradesh

Unprecedented security for public hearing

RACHAPALLI (Visakhapatnam dist.): Hundreds of police officers and constables descended on this village as the public hearing on the Anrak Alumina Limited was held on Saturday.

The scene was no different in the other villages where land was being acquired for the proposed refinery, aluminium plant and cogeneration plant.

Superintendent of Police Akun Sabharwal was personally monitoring the situation. Two ‘Vajra’ vehicles (which release teargas shells automatically) were positioned on either side of the pubic hearing venue. Among the police force are Greyhound constables, mostly used in anti-naxal operations.

Probably, this was the only public hearing in the State or even in the country that had seen unprecedented security arrangements. The police presence was not confined to the day of public hearing. In the last two to three weeks, the police had set up camps in the villages where land was being acquired. On Saturday, many police check-points were established on every road leading to Rachapalli. Except government vehicles and those carrying press personnel, MPs, MLAs and Congress leaders, no other vehicle was allowed to reach Rachapalli from the main road. People were forced to walk down the 1.4 km distance to the village. All arrangements had been made to prevent any trouble during the public hearing as the opposition parties, and NGOs were opposing the project and the bauxite mining in the Agency area. But despite huge presence of police, an obvious way to stifle opposition, the people overwhelmingly said ‘no’ to the project during the public hearing.

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