The plan to hold a public hearing on Wednesday attracts flak

Former trade union secretary EAS Sarma has raised strong objections to the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) for planning to hold a public hearing for Pearl Distilleries in Singarayakonda, Prakasam district, on Wednesday.

In a letter to Special Envoy Jawahar Reddy, he pointed out that Prakasam district recorded about 750 new COVID cases and three deaths on Monday, and public during that time as the pandemic rages across the state and country Hearing held. would purposely make room for the disease to spread.

He pointed out that holding the public hearing at this time could also result in criminal provisions under sections 269 and 270 of the Indian Criminal Code (IPC).

If this causes some people to lose their lives, APPCB executives should be held directly responsible, he said.

VS Krishna of the Human Rights Forum pointed out that holding a public hearing during a period of partial curfew is not only undemocratic but also contrary to the spirit of the public hearing.

It is known that when asked about this, APPCB officials cited a provision dated September 2020 that public hearings could be held with no more than 100 people, under a directive from the Ministry of the Environment, Forests and Climate Change.

The first wave was completely different from the current second wave, which is said to be more deadly. Therefore, the MoEFF provision cannot be quoted to circumvent the real spirit of a public hearing, said Mr Krishna.

A public hearing is not a wedding event that can limit the number of people who can attend. It is an important democratic exercise that gives people faced with potentially destructive development projects the opportunity to participate and raise objections, seek clarification and make suggestions, Krishna said.

Both Mr. Sarma and Krishna said that senior government officials should step in and stop this undemocratic activity.

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