The district committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has condemned the announcement of Minister for Mines Sujoy Krishna Ranga Rao that the GOs relating to bauxite mining have been cancelled while keeping silent on withdrawing GO Ms. No. 97 which pertains to environmental clearance for bauxite mining.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, CPI(M) district secretary K. Lokanadham said that the Minister had told the media on Monday that the State government was not interested in taking up mining in the Agency areas of Visakhapatnam district. The CPI(M) leader said that it was nothing but fooling the people once again. He said that the Minister should tell the tribal people as to why the GO Ms. No. 97, which was issued by the Telugu Desam government, was not cancelled.
Pollution threat
Referring to the warnings of scientists, he said that bauxite mining would threaten the very existence of not only tribal people but also those living in the plain areas of north Andhra districts.
It would pollute drinking water sources apart from destroying environment. It was for this reason that the tribal people were opposing bauxite mining. Their agitations and protests with the support of all political parties had led to the government keeping the GO Ms. No. 97 in abeyance. Instead of cancelling that GO, the Minister was only saying that GO s related to bauxite mining were cancelled. Mr. Lokanadham recalled that the CAG report had found fault with the approvals on bauxite mining made in the past by the State government and had even recommended their cancellation.
