Bauxite mining row deepens

By SNV Sudhir

Visakhapatnam, March 31, 2013: The row between the centre and the state on the proposed bauxite mining in Vizag Agency is likely to deepen further. Stating that there has been no response from the governor and the state government to his directives on cancellation of bauxite mining in Vizag Agency in view of the serious objections, union tribal affairs minister V Kishore Chandra Deo, had taken up the issue with the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh.

On Feb 13, he also wrote a letter to mines minister Dhinsha Patel urging his intervention. On March 17,  Mr Deo, during chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy’s visit to GK Veedhi, openly said he was awaiting state government’s response pushing Reddy into a tight spot.

However, the state government through the principal secretary of industries and commerce, D Srinivasulu, responding to Deo’s directives, wrote a letter, which has been accessed by Deccan Chronicle, to secretary of union ministry of tribal affairs, on Feb 7 itself.

Interestingly, highly placed sources in the union tribal affairs ministry, said so far they have not received any response from the state government.

In its letter to the secretary of union tribal affairs ministry, the state government refuted the objections of Kishore Chandra Deo over cancellation of bauxite mining licenses to APMDC and it also came in support of the governor.

In a strongly worded letter to the mines minister, Deo said that the state governor chose to ‘abdicate’ his authority under the provisions of Article 244 (1) of the constitution and the state government was ‘touting’ about the prior permission accorded by the mines ministry hence urged his intervention.

The state government said governor can cancel the licenses only by giving a reasonable opportunity of hearing under Mines and Minerals Act of 1957 and in such course it requires to follow a procedure under six various circumstances.

In a five page letter, state government gave point wise explanation on five varied objections raised by Deo on the mining. “As regards the destroying the sources of three rivers which are main sources of irrigation and drinking water and the impact on ecological balance, loss of habitat and livelihood due to dislocation of tribals by the mining operations are concerned, the hydrological reports given by Min MEC Consultancy Pvt Ltd, and EIA report are self explanatory,” said the letter.

State government requested the tribal affairs ministry to reconsider the directive issued to cancel the mining licenses.