Hyderabad: Violent scenes unfolded in Jogulamba Gadwal district on Wednesday as thousands of angry villagers stormed the site of an under-construction ethanol plant near Pedda Dhanwada in Rajoli mandal, torching vehicles and vandalising equipment in a dramatic escalation of a long-standing protest.
Tensions boiled over as residents from 12 villages stormed the site of the Gayathri Ethanol Company, outraged by the quiet resumption of construction after a six-month standstill.
According to protesters, the company had slipped in trucks, containers, and heavy machinery under the radar moving equipment in overnight without informing locals or securing their consent. The sudden activity sparked anger and suspicion, with villagers accusing the firm of trying to push the project forward behind their backs. villagers led by farmers and women set fire to vehicles, destroyed tents and materials, and blocked JCBs from entering the site. Police rushed to the scene in large numbers to bring the situation under control, but not before clashes erupted between security forces and demonstrators. The atmosphere remained tense late into the evening.
Locals say their opposition is nothing new. They claim to have held hunger strikes in the past and point to a resolution passed in the presence of the tahsildar and RDO, where residents from all 12 villages unanimously rejected the factory’s construction. Farmers accused public representatives of ignoring their concerns and demanded that the project be scrapped altogether.
As the standoff continues, villagers have vowed to intensify their agitation unless the ethanol plant is permanently withdrawn from the region.
