Protest Turns Violent: Protesters torch ethanol factory's vehicles

Hans India

a day ago

Jogulamba Gadwal (Mahabubnagar): A large-scale protest by villagers against the construction of an ethanol factory at Pedda Dhanwada in Rajoli mandal of Jogulamba Gadwal district turned violent on Wednesday. The factory, being set up by Gayatri Renewable Fuels Private Limited with an investment of Rs 190 crore on 30 acres near the banks of the Tungabhadra river, has drawn sharp opposition from residents of 12 surrounding villages who fear it will destroy their agricultural lands and pollute the environment.
Tensions flared after police placed several farmers under house arrest the night before and deployed heavy security near the construction site.
This was seen as an attempt to suppress the protest, leading to widespread public anger.
Early in the morning, hundreds of villagers, including women and elderly, stormed the site upon noticing renewed construction activities. They were enraged to see JCBs operating, tents erected, and a large container installed on the site. In the chaos that followed, the protesters set fire to a container, overturned vehicles, smashed windows of earthmovers, and dismantled temporary structures. The police, caught off guard, struggled to contain the crowd.
Meanwhile, Gadwal DSP Mogulayya visited the site and appealed for calm, stating that no one should take the law into their hands and that legal action would be taken if any violations were found. Villagers, however, remain determined to continue their agitation, declaring that they will not allow any polluting industry to destroy their livelihoods.
For the past two years, locals have been raising objections through peaceful protests and appeals to the authorities, demanding that the project be halted due to environmental concerns. However, they allege that neither public hearings nor proper consultations were held before granting permission for the factory. Farmers said they were inspired to act after learning about pollution and health hazards caused by similar ethanol factories in Chittalur of Narayanpet district and Parlapalli
in Karimnagar. They believe their fertile fields, which produce green crops, will be turned barren if the factory is allowed. Several leaders, including Congress's Sampath Kumar, MLC Challa Venkata Ram Reddy, and local MLA Vijayudu, had earlier extended support to the protest. Officials had suspended the work and promised that construction would not resume without public consent, but recent developments showed otherwise.