The villagers from Mellacheruvu and Mattampally mandal , Human Rights Forum (HRF) and Opposition parties opposed the allotment of 600 acres land to My Homes Cement Limited for limestone mining in Nalgonda district.
Five youth from Mellacheruvu mandal headquarters have launched a hunger strike on November 5 demanding the State government to cancel the three scheduled environmental public hearings on November 10 and 15 on the land allotment.
Speaking to The Hindu , S. Saidi Reddy, who is also on a hunger strike, said that they were already affected badly with the mining activity of cement companies in their mandals. “They would not allow mining any further in their villages because that has been affecting the health of people and agriculture production, he said. Another youth on hunger fast, G. Shankar, alleged that some of the allotted land was under reserve forest area which houses various wild animals like black buck, spotted deer, wild boar and many others.
The youth said that the mining activity also harms the habitation of these wild animals.
HRF, State secretary, G. Mohan, told The Hindu that according to guidelines the district administration should display the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report, in all the thirteen villages spread in these two mandals and also at notice board of Pollution Control Board office in Nalgonda a month before the scheduled public hearings, but they had failed to do so. He further said the HRF also organised a roundtable at Mellacheruvu recently on the same issue in which representatives from CPI, Congress, Spandanda NGOs and others have taken part opposing the government’s move to allot the land. The Opposition parties, HRF and local youth have threatened to obstruct the public hearings.
