Fight to protect Chelam Hill gets stronger in northern Andhra Pradesh

September 11, 2025, was different engaged time successful the tract for tribal mates Savara Minna Rao and his woman Raani, who began their greeting by spraying pesticide connected their one-acre fabric plantation astatine the foothills of the Chelam Hill range. The country was akin crossed surrounding villages, wherever tribal farmers from the Savara tribe—classified arsenic a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) successful Andhra Pradesh—were engaged successful workplace activities successful fields of cotton, maize, and paddy.

However, astir 11 a.m., Mr. Minna Rao, 40, alerted chap villagers and farmers implicit the telephone aft spotting a drone flying implicit his tract and suspecting that the authorities had launched a drone survey without their knowledge. “At astir 11 a.m., a elephantine drone flew implicit my fabric field. My woman noticed it moving towards our Chelam Hills”, said Mr. Minna Rao, adding that they had witnessed a akin country earlier connected September 09.

By noon, Savara and Jatapu tribes of the Chelam Hill traced the drone to a radical of officials operating it from the outskirts of Vennelavalasa colony successful Sarubujjili Mandal. “We located the 2 officials and alerted the section police, who rushed to the spot and seized the drone. We are determined not to let immoderate survey connected our onshore and aerial without consent,” said Mr. Badangi Suresh Dora of Jatapu tribe.

The tribals of Savara and Jatapu are connected tenterhooks aft the Andhra Pradesh Power Generation Corporation Limited (APGENCO) announced successful January that Chelam Hill scope has been selected to acceptable up a 3,200 MW Critical Coal-based Thermal Power Plant with an estimated outgo of ₹30,000 crore. The halfway country of the projected task falls wrong the limits of Chiguruvalasa Panchayat successful Sarubujjili Mandal and Jangalapadu Panchayat successful Burja Mandal.

The State-owned steadfast had disclosed its connection pursuing a tract inspection successful January, triggering protests successful the Chelam Hills, which is dispersed crossed the Mandals of Burja and Sarubujjili successful Srikakulam district. The elevation scope acts arsenic a bound betwixt the tribal pouch that falls successful the 5th Schedule Area (of the Constitution) and Non-5th Schedule Area, wherever the task is proposed.

The Chelam Hill scope stands retired arsenic 1 of the astir fertile regions successful bluish Andhra Pradesh, wherever section tribal communities person explored its cultivation imaginable by cultivating a assortment of commercialized crops. In a year, they cultivate—cotton, maize, cashew, mango, turmeric, ginger, broom grass, banana and pineapple—while besides collecting wood produce, custard pome and jackfruit, which they merchantability astatine Sarubujjili.

Mr. Badangi Suresh Dora,35, president of Power Plant Vyatirekha Porata Committee (PPVPC), a radical formed against the thermal powerfulness plant, is simply a full-time husbandman whose household depends connected commercialized crops—cotton, maize, turmeric, cashew—forest produce, chiefly custard pome successful Bodlapadu colony successful Burja Mandal.

According to sources, nary authoritative has ventured into the country for tract level studies since aboriginal September arsenic the Savaras and Jatapus inhabiting the 26 villages are up successful arms against the projected project. They are backed by much than 10 villages inhabited by non-tribals and Dalits successful the projected area.

Cotton Belt

In Jangalapadu Panchayat, arsenic wintertime dilatory sets in, the fabric fields are successful afloat bloom and volition beryllium acceptable for harvest starting adjacent January. The halfway country of the task Bodlapadu village, consisting of 25 households from the Jatapu tribe, is simply a fabric belt, arsenic each household cultivates fabric connected astatine slightest 2 acres of land. Each household much oregon little possesses astatine slightest 8 acres of land.

“We turn everything successful our wood and hills but brackish and successful instrumentality the quality blesses america with timely rains and streams. The authorities mightiness supply compensation for the land, but it tin ne'er reconstruct the forest, hills, and streams that volition beryllium irreversibly disrupted by the project,” said 65-year-old Koorangi Bangaramma. She attends to fabric fields and cashew orchards grown connected the elevation slope by her family.

Echoing Bangaramma’s sentiment, Palakala Sravani, 28, said, “As portion of wedding rituals, a subdivision of Mahua tree, is placed successful beforehand of the bride and the bridegroom’s houses to people the opening of the festivities. Now, aft the task disturbs the forests, Mahua tress whitethorn dice owed to contamination from the powerfulness plant. Where volition we past spell to sources these branches.” A parent of 2 children, Ms. Sravani, completed Intermediate and helps her household successful cultivation activities.

Two kilometres from Bodlapadu comes Jangalapadu Gram Panchayat, which was formed successful 2020 aft bifurcation from Annampeta Panchayat, consisting of 70 households from the Savara tribe.

Village elder Savara Lakshmana Rao said that they are not prepared to portion with the wood which has been a root of survival. “Our full colony depends connected agriculture. We judge that the powerfulness works volition origin a alteration successful the situation and climatic conditions owed to aerial and h2o pollution. We are not prepared to portion with our onshore and volition ne'er consent to beryllium rehabilitated for the project.” His household owns 19.5 acres of land, including 9.5 acres of wood onshore fixed to them nether the Recognition of Forest Rights (RoFR) Act, 2006.

The Savaras for implicit a decennary had been demanding that the authorities authorisation a canal done the Chelam hills to bring Vamsadhara h2o into their fields. “The Rivers’ Interlinking Canal passes done Vennelavalasa village, wherever farmers parted with 12 acres for the interlinking canal. The Savaras, Jatapus, and non-tribal farmers appealed for a subdivision canal to bring Vamsadhara waters to the Chelam elevation range. However, our appeals fell connected deaf ears. Now, the State authorities is consenting to divert the Vamsadhara stream h2o to propulsion the projected thermal powerfulness plant,” alleged PPVPC Treasurer Attuluri Ravikanth.

‘Suitable for the project’

Srikakulam District Collector Swapnil Dinakar said that Chelam Hill scope was selected due to the fact that of its geographical advantages. “The Vennelavalasa country (falling successful the Chelam Hill range) has been selected for the supercritical coal-based thermal powerfulness task owed to its suitability and geographical advantages. At this stage, the feasibility survey is successful progress. The territory volition besides request the task to conscionable its powerfulness request and springiness a fillip to concern growth. The accumulation outgo volition beryllium minimised, fixed the proximity of the task tract to Moolapeta Port and Srikakulam Road railway station.”

The task falls successful the Amadalavalasa Assembly Constituency represented by TDP MLA Kuna Ravi Kumar, who welcomed the task with an assurance of timely support.

The country is suitable for the powerfulness works connected each fronts. The hills volition enactment deposition of alert ash, portion a 0.5 TMC-reservoir astatine Vennelavalasa enables retention of h2o from Vamsadhara river, said the MLA. “The accumulation outgo of the works volition astir beryllium reduced to fractional if the task comes up astatine Vennelavalasa country arsenic ember tin beryllium shipped via oversea way from Odisha’s Talcher Coalfield to Moolapeta larboard successful Srikakulam district,” helium added.

A maximum of 1,200 acres of onshore is expected to beryllium required for the project. The nonstop locations for mounting up the facilities of the task are yet to beryllium finalised by the APGENCO arsenic the technological surveys are inactive underway, said Mr. Ravi Kumar.

“Our thought is to beryllium located adjacent to ember mines to prevention outgo connected ember proscription and production. The project, projected successful the Srikakulam district, is simply a supercritical coal-based thermal powerfulness project. It’s an indigenous exertion to beryllium supplied by L&T and BHEL. Same exertion is disposable astatine Sri Damodaram Sanjeevaiah Thermal Power Station, Nellore District”, said APGENCO Director (Thermal Power) P. Ashok Kumar.

Protection of forests

Adivasi Samkshema Parishad (ASP), a web of tribals of Andhra Pradesh, is extensively campaigning against the the projected powerfulness works successful Burja and Sarubujjili Mandals.

ASP State vice-president Vaba Yogi, who is coordinator of the Power Plant Vyatirekha Porata Committee (PPVPC), said, “Culture, fertile onshore and h2o resources of Adivasis volition beryllium wiped retired erstwhile the powerfulness task is operational. The authorities tin suggest immoderate different task that won’t harm the situation and impact the livelihood of the Savaras and Jatapus.”

The tribals would intensify their protests connected the lines of Sompeta and Kakarapalli movements to halt the projected thermal powerfulness plant, helium warned.

Elderly husbandman Savara Thotayya, of Addurupeta village, different colony successful the halfway country of the project, said that the Savaras volition not let immoderate authorities authoritative to transportation retired ground-level surveys. This colony with 23 households of the Savara people has been cultivating custard pome for commercialized purposes. Mr. Thotayya, who owns 8 acres of onshore including 4 acres fixed nether the RoFR, claimed that the officials and nationalist representatives person not been seen successful the projected country due to the fact that they are frightened of the locals.

Srikakulam’s combat for environment

The Srikakulam territory had witnessed India’s starring biology movements led by fisherfolk to reason 2 coal-based thermal powerfulness plants to support 2 wetlands—Beela of Sompeta wherever Nagarjuna Construction Company projected 2,640 MW powerfulness works and Nowpada Swamp of Kakarapalli wherever East Coast Energy Private Limited (ECEPL) projected a 2,640 MW powerfulness plant. Five protesters were gunned down by the constabulary forces successful the 2 abstracted movements.

On July 14, 2010, 3 protesters—Gonapa Krishna Murthy, Gunna Jogarao and Bendalam Krishma Murthy—were killed erstwhile constabulary opened occurrence against the protesters connected the 405-hectare Sompeta wetland (Locally known arsenic Beela) arsenic they marched to halt the enactment connected the ground. The adjacent day, the National Environment Appellate Authority (NEAA) cancelled the situation clearance of the project. The 2,166-day Sompeta question was led nether the banner of Paryavarana Porata Samithi (PPS).

On February 28, 2011, 2 protesters—Seerapu Yerraiah and Battina Barikavad— were killed erstwhile constabulary opened occurrence connected the protesters astatine Vadditandra colony during the protestation against ECEPL’s thermal powerfulness works projected successful the Kakarapalli swamp successful Santha Bommali Mandal. The task was to beryllium built connected 992 hectares of swamp. The adjacent day, (March 1), the Ministry of Environment and Forest suspended the enactment connected the site. The Kakarapalli question was led by the Bhavanapadu Thermal Vyatireka Porata Samiti (BTVPS).

The Paryavarana Porata Samithi of Sompeta question and Bhavanapadu Thermal Vyatireka Porata Samithi of Kakarapalli question person already consented to usher and widen their enactment for the question of the tribes against the Vennelavalasa thermal powerfulness plant.

Dr. Y. Krishna Murthy, the front-runner of the Sompeta movement, said, “We are prepared to connection our enactment to the tribes to wage a conflict against the captious coal-based powerfulness works successful Vennelavalasa. A thermal powerfulness works volition beryllium an biology catastrophe that leads to contamination of the aerial and earthy resources successful the surroundings. Such projects should not beryllium allowed.”