A farmer at a public hearing on Saturday urged authorities to defer the process and convene another hearing after informing residents across four revenue villages, arguing that the current meeting did not have broad local participation.
The farmer alleged that more than 50 people had died in areas affected by Progressive Hortichem, naming Bamford, Velguri, Nihangdisa, Topatali and Dakshin Topatali. No evidence for the death toll was presented in the video, and the claims could not be independently verified.
Describing himself as a farmer, the participant alleged that water discharged from the company had damaged vegetation and fish in a large pond. He said company authorities had earlier told residents that a new pesticide operator had mistakenly opened a valve. The incident was described as having occurred around April or May, though no exact date was given.
The farmer also alleged that unpurified gas emissions had damaged paddy crops, and claimed tuberculosis and cancer cases had risen in the area over the past 10 to 15 years. He said complaints to the company were followed by the distribution of fertiliser, rather than a fuller response. These allegations were not independently verified in the video.
He argued that attendance was low because many local residents had not been informed about the hearing, saying he learnt of it only after receiving phone calls while preparing for a wedding. He said 30, 40 or 50 attendees could not make a decision for four revenue villages.
The farmer said residents were not opposed to industry in principle, but asked authorities to suspend the current hearing, set a new date and invite people from every revenue village for a wider consultation.
