Tension prevailed at the Krishnapatnam port on Thursday with nearly 500 people from adjoining villages trying to storm the port area and the security guards stopping them. A villager and six guards were injured in the process.
The villagers were protesting against the failure of the management to provide the benefits that they were assured when their land was taken for setting up of the port.
The villagers were also demanding a halt to the ongoing works on the coal storage centers (CSC) which they feared would release coal dust into the atmosphere and lead to respiratory problems. They also demanded that the digging of ash ponds in the port should be stopped.
When stopped from entering the port area, the villagers resorted to stone-throwing damaging some window panes of the terminal.
The security guards then caned the villagers severely injuring one of them. This further infuriated the villagers who then thrashed the security guards injuring six of them. By then the police, led by Nellore Rural DSP Bala Venkateswarao, arrived on the scene and brought the situation under control.
The villagers withdrew their stir following an assurance given by the DSP and other police officials that they would speak to the port management about their problems within a week. Police pickets were posted at the port to prevent further trouble.