Rajahmundry, Sept. 15: Environmentalists are up in arms against authorities from the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (APIDC) for giving clearance to set up industrial units in ecologically sensitive areas, violating environmental norms. They contend that the APIIDC has given permission for setting up two thermal power plants in these areas, one at Naupada swamps located nearly six kilometres away from Telinelapuram of Srikakulam district, the swamps falling under the Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ) limits, and a thermal power plant at Polatitippa village of Machilipatnam mandal in Krishna district, the area having a thick growth of mangroves and mud flats and falling under CRZ-I (1) limits. Based on a public interest litigation (PIL) filed in AP High Court over the destruction of mangroves and mud flats for clearing land for setting up the power plant at Polatitippa, the High Court has given orders to stop the works immediately. The Central Empowered Committee of the Supreme Court seized of the issue related to destruction of the mangroves recently and requested not to give permission to go ahead with setting up power plants in CRZ limits. The public hearing held at Polatitippa on August 28 witnessed opposition from local villagers over a thermal power plant in that zone. The district administration argued that the proposed site for thermal power plant comes under CRZ-III limits but environmentalists say that it falls under CRZ-I (1) limits. Moreover, Polatitippa is a notified area and the Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) pertaining to Krishna district which specified in 1996 itself that no activity should be allowed at the site where there is a thick growth of mangroves. Environmentalists blame the APIIDC for allotting these sites to private entrepreneurs for setting up power plants and the district administration for giving clearance without verifying the facts with regard to location of the site.