Protests have broken out in the Indian city of Visakhapatnam against dust being generated by dry bulk consignments of commodities such as coal. Port chairman MT Krishna Babu said that $31 million will be spent in the next two to three years on improving pollution control at the port, which was accused of being “utterly indifferent and even callous to the issues of public health”.

Residents want Vizag port to follow the lead taken by the city of Chennai, where dusty commodities have been banned.

The port chairman stressed that the mechanization of iron ore handling and construction of new berths will reduce pollution levels. “We will make every effort to make Vizag a green port in the next five years,” he insisted.

BC