VISAKHAPATNAM: Ignoring the interest of the locals while aiming at rapid industrialisation would lead to problems, said senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member V Hanumantha Rao here on Wednesday.Expressing his displeasure over the negligence being shown by ports and various industries towards welfare of the local people, he said any project would not serve its purpose unless it serves people’s interest.As part of the Jana Jagruthi programme of the Congress, a four-member team of the party headed by Hanumantha Rao visited Gangavaram Port Limited (GPL), Jawaharlal Nehru Pharma City and Sri Lanka-based apparel giant Brandix unit in the district and interacted with the fisherfolk and locals.Talking to newsmen, Rao said the management of GPL had failed to provide employment to the locals even after acquiring land from them. The port was developed on Public Private Partnership (PPP) basis with a loan of Rs 2,000 crore from the World Bank but its management is taking care of the interest of private parties only, Rao alleged.People residing near the Jawaharlal Nehru Pharma City at Parawada in the district were falling prey to various diseases due to contamination of groundwater by the effluents released from the pharma units, he said.Hanumantha Rao was also dissatisfied with the management of Brandix company which had been allotted around 1,000 acres acquired from the locals. The company failed to provide the promised jobs to the local people who mostly comprised fisherfolk. The company has provided employment to only 6,000 persons against the promised 60,000 in the last five years, lamented Rao.The Congress team comprising Hanumantha Rao, government chief whip Bhatti Vikramarka, government whip Kondra Murali and AICC secretary P Sudhakar Reddy examined the mines, SEZs and ports in Visakhapatnam district and later left for East Godavari district.A report elaborating the locals’ demand and environment safety measures would be submitted to the government, they said.
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