Anaparthi MLA Nallamilli Ramakrishna Reddy.
RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM
Anaparthi MLA Nallamilli Rama Krishna Reddy (BJP) has claimed that a majority of the 62 patients who tested positive for various cancers at Bhalabhadrapuram in Anaparthi Assembly segment of East Godavari district have been found to be suffering from breast cancer.
In March, Mr. Rama Krishna Reddy exposed the high incidence of cancer cases in Bhalabhadrapuram village during the Assembly session, prompting the government agencies to probe it.
Speaking to the media here on Saturday, Mr. Rama Krishna Reddy said, “The Rangaraya Medical College, Kakinada, experts confirmed 62 cases for seven types of cancers among the 1,295 people whose health profile was documented and investigated in March in Bhalabhadrapuram village. This is an alarming state of spread of the cancer in this village, whose population is nearly 10,000.”
The MLA alleged that bureaucrats and medical and health authorities attempted to downplay the spread of cancer cases, leaving the people to their plight despite an alert.
Health emergency
“The government should declare a health emergency in the villages within a three-km radius of Bhalabhadrapuram for cancer screening in every household. The number of actual cancer cases is believed to be much more than the average of the State,” he added.
On the suspected health hazards reportedly due to nearby industries, including Grasim Industries’ Chlor-Alkali unit at Bhalabhadrapuram, Mr. Rama Krishna Reddy said, “We will appeal to the State government to temporarily suspend the operation of the Grasim unit until scientific studies are completed by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI)“.
Next week experts from NEERI, Nagpur, will continue their study on the environment and chemical pollution in the vicinity of the Grasim unit and the village.
The MLA alleged that the AP Pollution Control Board (APPCB) authorities resorted to non-cooperation in the matter of sharing their findings of the environmental pollution audit on Grasim Industries. “We will seek the intervention of the Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Environment and Forest K. Pawan Kalyan to trace the causes for the cancer cases and contain the pollution, if anything is established,” said Mr. Rama Krishna Reddy.
Published – April 05, 2025 08:49 pm IST
