The protesters raised slogans against the Visakhapatnam Port Trust (VPT) management and demanded that discharge of dusty cargo be stopped immediately as it had covered the One Town Area.

"Bauxite is being discharged from the ships at VGCB and it is in powder form. As a result, even when there is a light breeze the dust enters the houses in the area. Even the water pots are covered with a layer of this dust," Hajee Aboosarang Mosque committee president Mohammed Ali Khan told TOI.

"We are staging this protest to push the port authorities into ensuring that the cargo is sprinkled with water so that it does not spread outside the port area. In the morning, the entire area, especially the part near St Aloysius High School, is completely covered in red dust. There are a large number of people living under the conveyor belt and they suffer the most because of the dust," he said.

The residents would also submit a memorandum to the commissioner of the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) on Monday, he said. "People are suffering a lot in the area because of the pollution being caused by the port," alleged Khan.

Another resident of One Town Area, P Narayana Murthy said, "Whenever we stage a protest, the port people take some measures (to mitigate the problem), but soon they get back to their old ways. The lives of the people are at risk because of the actions of the people at the port."

Murthy pointed out that during the previous month they had staged a protest against blasts being carried out for dredging. "After that protest, they stopped for some time. Then again last week they triggered a powerful blast that rattled the houses in the area. If any of the houses collapses in the area in future, the port will be to blame. They have failed to consider the demands of the residents and take measures to curb pollution of both air and noise," he said.