VISAKHAPATNAM: The National Alliance of People’s Movement (NAPM)’s Jana Jagruti Yatra to express solidarity with people taking up movements against various projects threatening their livelihood and the environment, has evoked an encouraging response in North Andhra.

The activists belonging to various NGOs started their yatra in a mini-bus from Hyderabad and reached Visakhapatnam District on Sunday. The team interacted with anti-alumina refinery activists at Anakapalle on Sunday and people opposing nuclear power plant at Kovvada in Srikakulam district on Monday.

The team members include NAPM State convener Ramakrishna Raju, co-conveners K. Saraswati and P.S. Ajay Kumar, B. Dilli Rao from Paryavarana Parirakshana Sangham, Sompeta, NAPM coastal area convener T. Shankar and environmental activist J.V. Ratnam.

The yatra will conclude on December 29. The activists will meet the victims of chemical units at Nakkapali on Tuesday. Mr. Raju and Ms. Saraswati said it was wrong to brand them anti-development activists just because they were opposing nuclear, thermal power plants, bauxite mining and other projects. “Here the main issue is the environmental degradation the projects will cause and the livelihood threat to the local communities,” they pointed out.

Stating that the powers-that-be were trying to lure the gullible people in the project affected areas with the promise of jobs and sponsoring the studies of their children in technical courses, they expressed the doubt in such claims going by the track record in the implementation of rehabilitation and resettlement package to the people already affected due to various projects.

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