Date:01/03/2011 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2011/03/01/stories/2011030162090300.htm

VISAKHAPATNAM: The National Alliance of People’s Movement has condemned the police firing on villagers, opposing the Kakarapalli thermal power plant, and burning of houses at Vaddithandra on Monday.

“It is extremely unfortunate that in spite of NAPM’s complaint to the Chairperson of the State Human Rights Commission and Director-General of Police (on the incidents at Kakarapalli last week), the situation was allowed to reach this stage. Even attempts at dialogue failed and the district administration seemed to be hell-bent on terrorising and breaking the resistance against the thermal power plant”, NAPM’s convenors and other office-bearers Medha Patkar, Thomas Kocherry, Sandeep Pandey, Maj Gen S.G.Vombatkere (Retd) and others said in a statement from New Dehli.

The two incidents of firing near Kakarapalli and Sompeta earlier indicated that the people would protect their land, water and their livelihood. NAPM demanded suspension of police officials responsible for the incident and stern action against them, withdrawal of police force from the area, compensation and relief to the victims and their families and withdrawal of false cases against villagers.

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