VIZAG matters - Sohan Hatangadi's Blog

VIZAG'S BLACK NIGHTMARE Talk to anyone in Vizag and the single most irritating thing about living here is the ubiquitous coal dust pollution. This fine black powdery substance rises silently, like a ghost, from the port area and spreads its dark tentacles all over our city. It affects all of Vizag, from the densely populated old town in the South to the upmarket areas in the North of Vizag. As homes are swept each morning one can see the black powder accumulating on the floor at the end of the broom and our laundry on the clothes line is streaked brown by the time it dries. It settles on our cars and bikes and on our skin as we drive near the port area. Much of this pernicious dust gives us itchy eyes, allergic sniffles and most seriously finds its way into our lungs making us susceptible to respiratory infection and worse. Historic problem Vizag’s citizens have suffered due to this dirty cargo for years, they have complained, protested, objected, opposed, moaned, groane...

The attack on NGOs based on a mysterious report from the Intelligence Bureau (IB) which no one appears to have read, appears to be a case of intimidation sponsored by vested interests! Little bits of the "report" are being leaked into the media implying that NGOs are "anti development" and "anti national". That they get money from abroad with the intention of destroying our country!  This part about foreign funding is a sham because a respected NGOs gets funds legitimately through normal financial channels and provide full data to the government about their sources. In fact the banking formalities for NGOs is much more stringent than those imposed on business houses.  In sharp contrast several dubious corporations and politicians channel vast amounts of money into their coffers by dubious means. Isn't the mining industry getting any foreign funding? How else do you explain companies like "ANRAK" (RAK stands for  Ras Al Khaimah) - a mid...

Please first read this news item which appeared today 3 Dec, by clicking on this link: Vizag to become major hub for port activity Vizag Port Trust's Magic Trick Great magicians are experts in diversion. Accompanied by drum rolls, they direct your attention to something exciting and as you watch they perform their tricks behind smoke screens and curtains. This is what the port trust seems to be doing in Vizag. After years of complaints regarding pollution they say that they are cleaning up their act by installing a few mechanical coal handlers in the outer harbour. They hand out press notes and make statements saying that all the coal dust problems are solved. No one asks them and they don't want to say about where the coal is being stored! The major problem has been their archaic storage yards from where coal dust spreads all over the old city and sometimes all the way to Chinna Waltair and Gnyanapuram. What do they plan to do about that? North and West migra...

Expansion of ports - news reports In recent months, and as recently as last week, there have been news items in the press about the expansion of Vizag and Gangavaram ports. Reading these reports makes me feel like a prisoner being sent to the gas chamber! Please read these news items: 1. "Gangavaram Port in expansion mode". http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/article3348360.ece 2. "Gangavaram port expansion set to take off; funds tied up" http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/logistics/article3473764.ece?ref=wl_industry-and-economy VPT - The emperor of pollution  Visakhapatnam Port Trust (VPT) is the most notorious polluter of Vizag. The sea water in the port area which was full of marine life, now thanks to the oil, coal, ore, sulfur and  pollution supports no life at all. Their Coal and Iron Ore Dust spreads all over the city. From Soldierpeta to Gyanapuram. From Kotaveedhi to Suryabagh. From Jalaripeta to ...