DUBBAPALLY (WARANGAL): Hundreds of villagers are spending sleepless nights due to the fly ash released by Kakatiya Thermal Power Plant (KTPP) enveloping their homes here. While the KTPP plant at Chelpur village in Mulug Ghanpur mandal is 1 km away, Dubbapally bears the brunt with every household sooted with thick layers of fly ash.Tuesday was a real nightmare for the residents after squally winds brought in tonnes of fly ash into their homes, panchayat office and other offices. With no response from the authorities concerned, angry villages slept in front of the KTPP main gate in the night and cooked on Wednesday in protest against the official apathy. They also staged dharna in front of the APGenco office and demanded that either production at KTTP be stopped or resettle them at an alternative site.Dubbapally, which is 70 km from the district headquarters, is largely inhabited by farmers and daily wagers. "We are unable to live in our village. With fly ash spewing out in large quantities, our health is endangered. We have been pleading with the officials since seven months but they seem to be oblivious to our concerns," rued a farmer Mancha Srinivas.Angry villagers tried to gatecrash into the Genco office but security personnel stopped them. The woes of the 500-odd families in the village began seven months ago when the power plant started generating electricity. "The fly ash waste mixes easily in the air and forms into thick layers. Little wonder, roads, roofs, verandahs, trees, vehicles, open spaces etc are covered with thick blanket of ash," complained a coolie Ramanna. He said elders, women and children were forced to confine to homes.Following the villagers' agitation, work at KTPP was stopped and coal trucks were not permitted to enter the power station. Genco chief engineer Mahabaleshwar Rao said production to the tune of 500 MW would be hit if the villagers stopped the coal-laden trucks from entering the plant.Bhupalapally MLA Gandra Venkata Ramana Reddy and Mulug Ghanpur SI Amrutha Reddy tried to convince the villagers to let the staff and trucks into the plant but in vain.Mahabaleshwar Rao said the ash pond is at the farthest corner of the plant and assured that they would clear the fly ash in a week to give relief to the villagers. "No official has bothered to take cognizance of our pleas before. Most of us are facing severe respiratory and other health problems. KTPP should be closed to give solace to the villagers," an enraged farm labourer Kanakamma said.Meanwhile, the officials are trying to mollify the angry villagers.