Andhra Pradesh Industries Minister Mekapati Goutham Reddy on Wednesday instructed pollution control board officials to come up with a mechanism to ensure industrial refuse and discarded chemicals from the Divi plant in East Godavari district do not seep into the ground.

“Do an in-depth study on Divi’s and other industries’ pollution,” said Reddy, even as he directed that the establishment of the pharmaceutical plant should not adversely affect the local hatcheries.

The Industries Minister, who held a virtual conference with Divi’s management and senior officials from various departments as well as local MLA Datisetty Raja, directed officials to submit a report on the possible pollution from Divi’s plant and other industries and how to contain that in the first week of February.

Raja informed the minister that the locals are infuriated with Divi’s, to which Reddy said their anxieties should be taken into account to resolve the stalemate as any delay would not bode well for the pharmaceutical industry.

He also directed Divi’s officials to make sure that all the arrested protesters are released, even as the officials assured that cases will be withdrawn in light of most of them being released already.

In December, more than 36 locals protesting the construction of Divi’s pharmaceutical plant in Kona forest of East Godavari district were arrested.

Divi’s is planning to set up Unit III in the district, tapping internal accruals to fund the facility’s construction which was planned to commence operations within 12 to 18 months in the first phase of the project.

The company has planned to invest Rs 1,500 crore in the facility.