The Coastal Corridor and SEZ Act would deprive the common man of his basic right to life, said the convenor of the Coastal Corridor Nirmana Vyatireka Porata Committee, Mr K.S. Chalam, and the state secretary of the Human Rights Forum, Mr V.S. Krishna. Addressing a press conference here on Monday, they said the 8-day Jagruti Jatha organised by both the organisations seeking scrapping of GO No. 34 and the SEZ Act, 2005, ended on Sunday.

The president of the district of Telugu Desam, Mr Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy, said that the Congress was determined for large-scale destruction of entire Agency areas. The TD's padayatra team, which launched the marathon on Tuesday in Anantagiri Agency mandal reached Araku here on Thursday.

The 8-day Jatha campaigning against the coastal corridor and special economic zone (SEZ) entered the Vizag district at Rambilli on Thursday. The Jatha, being organised by Coastal Corridor Nirmana Vyatireka Porata Samithi is doing rounds of the villages of Rambilli and Achyutapuram mandals to be affected by the SEZ multi-product schemes.

Vowing to intensify their agitation against bauxite mining the Opposition TD launch-ed padayatra in this Agen-cy mandal here on Tuesday. Speaking on the occasion, the TD district unit president, Mr Bandaru Satyanrayana Murthy, alleged that the Congress government was diluting the rights of the tribals under the 1/70 Act.

The Opposition Telugu Desam leaders here on Monday said they would scrap the MoUs signed by the Congress government with the Jindal South West Aluminium Limited and Ras-al-Khaimah for supply of bauxite ore, if their party is voted to power in the ensuing general elections. Addressing a media conference here on Monday, the TD city and district unit presidents, Mr B. Satyanarayana Murthy and Dr C.M.A. Zaheer Ahmed, alleged that the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, had ignored public opinion on bauxite mining.

The proposed industrial coastal growth corridor as well as series of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) on the Andhra coast must be stopped immediately to protect the rights of common people, according to the Industrial Coastal Corridor Nirmana Vyat-hireka Porata Samiti. Speakers at the dharna organised by the committee near the district collectorate protesting against the corridor said here on Thursday that the corridor and the SEZs undermined the livelihood of the already marginalised communities.

Nagarjuna Construction Company, the Rs 2,900-crore infrastructure major, sees big business opportunities in the large number of Special Economic Zones, expected to come up in the country. Being among the few companies with capabilities to provide complete solutions for water and environment management, the company is well prepared to take on the challenges for SEZs. Already, it has bagged a major contract for the textile SEZ being developed by Sri Lanka's Brandix in Visakhapatnam, according to Mr V. Radha Krishna, Associate Director and Head (Water and Environment). On the anvil

Proposes to irrigate around 230,000 hectares in Vijaywada, West & East Godavari and Visakhapatnam districts