NELLORE: Left-wing activists on Monday gatecrashed a public hearing on the proposed VSF Power project at Ankulapaturu village in Chillakur mandal of Nellore district and caused its abrupt ending. A police inspector and a few others were injured in the melee.The public hearing commenced at around 9.30 am with joint collector Saurabh Gowr, Pollution Control Board engineer Satyanarayana Raju and Guduru TDP MLA B Durga Prasad attending the meeting.At around 10.15 am, about 1,200 villagers owing affiliation to the CPI, CPM, AISF, AITUC, Kula Vivakshata Nirmulana Porata Committee and Jana Vigyana Vedika (JVV) turned up and began to raise slogans against the power project.They wanted it scrapped altogether.Repeated requests for calm by the joint collector fell on deaf ears. At one stage, there was utter chaos as several people tried to speak at the same time.In the melee, a JVV activist, Rajesh, tried to wrest a mike from a farmer and it went flying into the face of Kovur circle inspector Rambabu, who was hurt. He was taken to the SBQ Hospital for first aid and then to the Guduru hospital.Police took Rajesh into custody and lodged him at the Chillakuru police station. To restore order at the hearing, police carried out a lathicharge and the joint collector and MLA left the venue. They returned after some time and got the hearing going again.But this lasted only 20 minutes as opponents of the project began to raise slogans again. At the point, the hearing was concluded abruptly. Gowr said the hearing would be held again but only after villagers and local public representatives arrived at an understanding.
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