The Government of Andhra Pradesh has banned the burning of raw cashew during processing. Instruction has been given to boil the cashew instead of burning. And, some factories of Palasa region adjacent to Gajapati district were sealed recently for flouting the order.
Now these factories have been shifted to the rural areas of Andhra-Odisha border keeping in the view availability of raw material, suitable climate and lack of strict rules. In these regions, the cashew industries start to burn cashew from early morning till evening. The unhygienic gases produced from these industries pollute the atmosphere of the area resulting in many health hazards. The pollution control board is silent in the matter. On the other hand, the owners of cashew industries engage 30-35 workers including children and over aged people. They work hard against low wages and under unhygienic situations, thereby suffering from chest diseases. Meanwhile, locals have demanded steps by the Gajapati administration for maintaining the environmental balance and preventing health hazards in the district.