Participating in the environmental public hearing for expansion and modernisation of HPCL-VR from 8.33 MMTPA (million metric tonne per annum) to 15 MMTPA, residents complained about air and groundwater pollution, which they felt needs to be addressed by the refinery on priority. The expansion and modernisation of the refinery is estimated to cost around Rs 17,000-18,000 crore and is expected to take around four to five years for completion.

While a majority of the residents welcomed HPCL-VR's expansion plans, they demanded that the refinery management address issues related to pollution, setting up of a new hospital, providing employment to locals and improving safety standards.

Speaking at the public hearing, MLA PGVR Naidu urged HPCL to take up the project of modernising drains running within the refinery premises at a cost of Rs 60 crore so that residents in the neighbouring areas don't have to suffer problems of water logging during the rainy season.

CPM leader M Jaggu Naidu said, "Accidents at HPCL are occurring at frequent intervals. We saw 61 persons die in the blast in 1997 and 28 deaths in the 2013 incident. Various commissions have given recommendations for improving safety standards, but HPCL is doing nothing about safety." He alleged that people in the neighbourhood areas of Malkapuram, Sriharipuram, Ramakrishnapuram, among others, are facing respiratory problems due to air pollution caused by the refinery.

Referring to the accidents at HPCL-VR, resident Lakshman Murthy said, "Nobody is held responsible for accidents at the refinery." At the same time, he alleged, "There is no good groundwater available and people are also facing skin diseases due to pollution."

"The HPCL management should hold meetings with the public at regular intervals to understand the grievances of the people and take corrective measures. There is nobody from HPCL available if we want to contact them about our problems," complained another resident Ganesh Misra.

Raising a question on pollution, naval officer MangalKakkar said, "What will be the environmental impact in terms of the increase in traffic, pollution, sulphur emissions, RSPM (Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter) and TSPM (Total Suspended Particulate Matter) due to the expansion?"

Retired defence employee K Ramakrishna Raju said, "We oppose the expansion of the refinery but welcome the modernisation. HPCL needs to first address the existing pollution problems being faced by residents in its neighbourhood before going ahead with its expansion plans."

Pointing out that HPCL needs to redesign its chimneys to prevent air pollution, he said, "Nearly 22,000 employees working in defence establishments are suffering due to pollution." He also slammed the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) for neglecting the area.

Demanding at least 75% employment to locals, MadhuBabu of Malkapuram said, "The elected representatives from the region should insist on the refinery providing jobs to locals. People are coming from other states and working for lesser wages, but local youth with requisite skills are being denied opportunity. The refinery needs to take this issue into consideration as there is widespread anger against the HPCL management for neglecting local youth."

Answering questions raised by the joint collector J Nivas, who chaired the environmental public hearing, HPCL-VR officials said that modernisation of the plant will reduce sulphur dioxide emissions and particulate matter in the air will come down to negligible quantities. At the same time, HPCL officials said that while compensation had been paid to the kin of those who perished in the 2013 blast, jobs promised to the kin were still under review. Joint collector J Nivas also directed HPCL to provide medicines to the existing GVMC hospital in the neighbourhood.

HPCL officials also informed the joint collector that Rs 1,437 crore would be spent on reducing sulphur emissions from the plant.