TDP asks Governor to halt bauxite mining

Telugu Desam Party politburo member Dadi Veerabhadra Rao on Saturday appealed to Governor E S L Narasimhan to intervene in the bauxite mining leases in the agency areas of Visakhapatnam.

Talking to media persons at Raj Bhavan after a delegation of Tdp members submitted a memorandum to the Governor, Veerabhadra Rao said that Narasimhan can intervene in the mining lease issue under the 5th schedule of the constitution without seeking prior permission from the Cabinet and protect the interests of tribals.

Through the mining of bauxite, he said that the state government would get a royalty of about Rs 70 crore royalty and the tribals in the area would get a benefit of Rs 20 crore. However, the private companies which are involved in the mining would get Rs 4,000 crore profits, he pointed out.

Due to mining of bauxite in the agency areas, he said that the tribals would lose their livelihood and cause huge damage to the environment due to pollution. He said that the delegation explained to the Governor that the officials have given their nod to mining permits without seeking approval from the Cabinet.

However, after the 14 months period, the Cabinet gave its nod to mining leases, he stated. He said that the Governor gave a patient hearing to Tdp’s appeal and assured the delegation that he would look into the issue soon.

 Mahila wing president Shobha Hymavathi was also present in the delegation of Tdp.