Hyderabad, March 02: Transport Minister Botcha Satyanarayana has admitted lapses on the part of the government in handling the agitation launched against East Coast Energy’s power plant at Kakarapalli in Srikakulam district.
Mr. Satyanarayana said though the firing which claimed two lives was attributed to the police, the government could not distance itself from the incident as the police was an integral part of the administration.
“The police firing at Sompeta during the previous session and the present incident have exposed gaps in coordination between different agencies. Effort should be made to bridge them,” he said.
Speaking to reporters at the media point in the Assembly on Tuesday, he felt that the government should act as a facilitator in promoting industry, but should not behave as if it owned the project.
Though there was no opposition to the project initially, locals started agitating against the project since one year as the management did not fulfil its assurance on providing effective relief and rehabilitation to the affected families.
The government should forthwith initiate steps to take locals into confidence before according permits to major projects.
-Agencies