PEDDAPALLI : Residents of villages located adjacent to the Open Cast Projects (OCP) of Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) are facing several problems. While Kannala and other nearby villages in Manthani mandal are being flooded, the farm fields in these dwellings are being filled with slush from the OCPs. As a result, tonnes of soil is being deposited in the paddy fields, with Kannala village alone seeing slush accumulation in 50 acres.
“At this initial stage of cultivation, we are facing heavy losses,” lamented worried farmers. During coal excavation from OCPs, the SCCL management separates soil from coal deposits around the OCPs boundaries, leading to mounds of slush piling up in the fields. During the rainy season, these mounds dissolve and flood into nearby villages and paddy fields, impacting their cultivation severely.
“Even after several requests to SCCL authorities no proper measures have been taken,” said G Gattaiah, a farmer. “We are suffering a loss of Rs 40,000 per acre due to this,” he said.
While demanding that the SCCL management compensate them, the farmers urged the authorities to explore alternative ways to divert slush flooding downstream. They warned that if no action is taken, they will block SCCL transport vehicles until justice is done for the affected farmers.