HYDERABAD | Nov 06, 2015: The State government has decided to divert 1,212 hectares in Chintapalli and Jerrila reserve forest in Narsipatnam division for bauxite mining.
In a decision that could trigger agitations in the agency areas of Visakhapatnam, the government has approved mining lease for the Andhra Pradesh Mineral Development Corporation for taking up bauxite mining in the agency area. The vexatious issue, which triggered protests in the Visakhapatnam agency for some time during the previous Congress regime, could lead to similar protests from locals who are said to be living in constant fear of losing their habitat.
Then Congress MP from Araku V. Kishore Chandra Deo and others had raised strong objections against launching mining operations in scheduled areas.
Mr. Deo, who was subsequently made Union Tribal Affairs Minister, had requested the State to scrap all agreements signed in this regard.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu initially preferred to tread the issue with caution and maintained status quo on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which was kept in abeyance ever since protests began in the agency area.
In the orders issued on Thursday, the government said the legal status of the forest land being diverted would remain unchanged and directed the Forest Department to raise and maintain compensatory afforestation on non-forest land equal in extent to the land that was being diverted for mining.
Fencing, protection and regeneration of the safety area as also afforestation on degraded forest land elsewhere should be done at the project cost.
The user agency should involve locals in the afforestation drive wherever necessary. It should restrict mining to 35 hectares a year and the mining should be block by block, the order said.
The agency should obtain environmental clearance in accordance with the provisions of the Environmental (Protection) Act 1986 and the period of diversion of the forest land should be co-terminus with the period of mining lease that is proposed to be granted.
The user agency should implement a comprehensive wild life protection and management plan in consultation with the State Forest Department, it added.’
(Source: http://www.thehindu.com/)