Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam   

Drop bauxite mining proposal, CPI tells government

VISAKHAPATNAM: The district unit of CPI has opposed bauxite mining in the Agency area of the district on a number of counts including violation of several constitutionally mandated provisions.

In a memorandum submitted to the District Collector and the Executive Engineer of AP Pollution Control Board, its district secretary and National Council member J.V. Satyanarayana Murthy asserted that the acts of the government were against the laws of the country, against the verdict of the apex court and against the will of the sons of the soil and demanded that the Government withdraw the proposal for mining at Jerrela.

He said the mandatory meeting of the Tribal Advisory Council was not convened. It was also in violation of the Panchayat Extension Act in Scheduled Areas as no gram sabha was held. In fact, most of the mandal parishads and gram sabhas have opposed the mining and submitted memoranda to the district administration and the Chief Minister.

Stating that the Central Empowered Committee, appointed by the Supreme Court had not visited to accord forest clearance.

The move (for mining) was also against Section 3.19 (a) of the Tribal Act amendment to which would open the gates for setting up of more units, he said. Permission of the National Commission of Scheduled Tribes for establishing the industry was also not obtained.

Mr. Satyanarayana Murthy said the memoranda of understanding (MoU) signed by the State Government with Jindal Southwest Ltd., and with Anrak Aluminium Ltd were violating the Samata judgment as the Mineral Development Corporation was used in a benami manner to usurp bauxite reserves in the agency area to private interests.

In a combined rally at Chintapalli , the CPI and CPI (M) have warned the government against taking up bauxite mining in the agency area of the district. Hundreds of Left party workers went around the village raising slogans against the Chief Minister and opposing mining. The joint rally came ahead of the public hearing at Chintapalli on the mining of bauxite proposed to be taken up in four blocks of Jerrela.

At a meeting later, MP Midiam Babu Rao said lives would be laid down to prevent the mining. In an uncharacteristically trenchant attack, CPI MLA and president of Girijan Samakhya G. Demudu said though he was an MLA representing the area he was kept in the dark about the mining proposals. He alleged that the mining was proposed without the consent of the gram sabhas and tribal MLAs. He said providing clean drinking water, hospitals and better education of tribals should have been given priority rather than bauxite mining.

CPI district secretary J.V. Satyanarayana Murthy said that AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi stood by girijans in Orissa and opposed mining and wondered whether the same would not hold good for girijans here. He called upon people to reject the ‘fake’ public hearing to be held on October 3. Mahila Samakhya district secretary Vimala, Koyyuru mandal president B. Ramarajyam, ZPTC Bookaraju, GK Veedhi and Chintapalli mandal vice-presidents Somalingam and Krishna Rao participated.

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