HYDERABAD: Days after several farmers from Dothigudem village in Pochampally mandal staged a protest at the Telangana State Pollution Control Board (TSPCB) office seeking action against polluting pharma companies in their area, representatives of these companies claim the allegations are false. They even accuse villagers of trying to extort money from them.
In the past, villagers have made several complaints, stating that water and air in their area is highly polluted because of illegal dumping of toxic waste by these pharma companies.
Following these complaints, on Friday, TSPCB had asked representatives of the nine companies — which are set up in and around Dothigudem -- to give explanations. Speaking to the Express, the representatives from the companies in question strongly denied the allegations.
“TSPCB officials have verified our compliance reports. Most companies are not flouting any rules. Only one or two did not have a proper permit to operate, so the PCB has identified them and has asked them to rectify the same,” said Ram Reddy, a representative of Archimedis Laboratories Private Limited.
Responding to the villager’s allegation, he added that there was no weight in these allegations, else the TSPCB would have already detected it.
“The villagers are making these allegations to extort money from pharma companies. They are threatening us for their personal gains, because of which we are facing inconvenience,” said a representative of Optimus Pharma Pvt Ltd, Sada Shiv Reddy. The representatives also claim that they are developing Dothigudem village by providing employment to people and are also putting up free water purifiers in the village.
When villagers were asked to respond to the money extortion allegation, Damodar Reddy, a farmer, and protestor from the village said, “If they are not polluting our water, then why are they providing us with water purifiers for free. We do not want any money, we only want these toxic companies to go away from our villages immediately.”