Pawan Kalyan calls for strict pollution control measures in Vizag

Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan called for stringent measures to be put in place to control pollution in Visakhapatnam. He held a meeting with officials and industrialists, under the aegis of the Pollution Control Board (PCB) and discussed steps to strengthen environmental protection and pollution control on Friday.

Mr. Pawan Kalyan stressed that industries must strictly comply with PCB norms and contribute to biodiversity conservation. He advised the adoption of modern technology for waste management, and improvement of air quality, and other pollution mitigation measures.

“North Andhra’s coastal region has developed rapidly, but air quality has deteriorated. Despite improvements over the past two years, conditions in places such as Tadi village in the Parawada industrial area remain alarming,” he said. He highlighted how pollution caused by the chemical industries led to almost every houshold in Tadi village having at least one cancer patient. Skin diseases among children, miscarriages among women, and lung-related ailments have become common in the area.

Similarly, pollution from the Visakhapatnam Port is adversely affecting the health of people living in nearby areas. Coal pollution in the port area is causing lung diseases and skin-related problems, especially in localities under the Port Authority’s jurisdiction. Residents of these areas have raised these issues with me on several occasions, he added.

He added that industries must do whatever possible to improve the living standards of people residing in industrial areas through proper waste management using modern technology for public safety.

Mr. Pawan Kalyan reaffirmed that the NDA government accords top priority to environmental protection.

Principal Secretary, Forests and Environment, Kanthilal Dande; Pollution Control Board Chairman Dr P. Krishnaiyya; APPCB Member Secretary Saravanan; Visakhapatnam Port Vice-Chairperson Ms Roshini Aparanji; District Collector MN Harendra Prasad; GVMC Commissioner Ketan Garg and others were present.