Centre, AP spar over Vizag bauxite mining

By SNV Sudhir

Visakhapatnam, Oct 22, 2012 : The Centre and the state are on the warpath again with over the proposed bauxite mining in Vizag agency.The AP Mineral Development Corp. (APMDC) contends its mining licences are in line with the Supreme Court’s Samata ruling that state-owned agencies can operate in scheduled areas. The APMDC is said
to have submitted a report on the matter recently.The stance is in stark contrast to the Union tribal welfare ministry directive that the Alienation of Land Transfer Regulation (ALTR) bars non-tribal people from buying land, or even getting it on lease, in scheduled areas.
Slamming the state government last Saturday for issuing the mining licences, Union tribal welfare minis
ter Kishore Chandra Deo said the state would have to face the consequences if his directives, issued under powers vested with him by the Constitution, are ignored and the licenses are not cancelled.A committee appo-inted by the environment ministry to study various aspects of proposed bauxite mining in Vizag agency had submitted its report in May.
The panel recommended that under the Forest Conservation Act, a gram sabha or panchayat located within a 10-km radius of mining areas should be consulted, as per the Panchayat Act 1996, before licences are cleared.But in reply to an RTI query, the APMDC had said that no such consent is required from the gram sabha for mining of major minerals like bauxite.

Crackdown on ganja peddlers

By SNV Sudhir

Visakhapatnam, Sep 21, 2012: District police finally found a way to curtail ganja smuggling by investigating the lavish lifestyle of local ganja drug peddlers, to which they adapt overnight from the easy money made.

In the last 6 months, Narsipatnam division police alone seized around 6,000 kg of ganja and for the first time in the state, booked a local peddler under 68 (F) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (NDPS Act), which entitles police to seize the property acqui-red with the money earned by doing the offence.

Though police arrested many under the NDPS Act earlier, it did not yield result as those arrested were coming out of jail after some time and continuing smuggling ganja.

Recently police were astonished to find Rs.1.15 lakh in cash, 15 tolas of gold purchased very recently and documents related to the purchase of two acres at Rs.9 lakh per acre when they raided the residence of L. Thrinadh, who works as a petty auto driver in Benna Bupalapatnam in Rolugunta mandal.

“For the first time we have used this Section of NDPS and the seized property will be sent to the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). We were surprised to see such a lavish lifestyle of a petty auto driver. He confessed to have peddled ganja,” Narsipat-nam ASP Tafseer Iqbal told this correspondent.

As smugglers from Tamil Nadu and Kerala have changed their modus operandi by engaging locals to transport ganja, 80 per cent of the households in a couple of villages in Rolungunta mandal have high end facilities, along with split ACs, most having earned money in ganja peddling.

“For an overnight consignment of transporting 100 kgs ganja, they earn around Rs.3 lakh. They earn this amount in just one consignment,” said the ASP. Interestingly the arrested auto driver flew several times to Chennai and Mumbai, the major hubs for the ganja trade. Police have also prepared a list of around 40 persons to crack down upon and seize properties.

You go to toilet daily, says Jairam

By SNV Sudhir

Visakhapatnam, Oct 8, 2012: Coming under attack from the BJP and Hindutva gro-ups, Union rural development minister Jairam Ra-mesh reiterated his rema-rks on toilets and temples and went a step further.

Answering a query at Paderu, near Visakhapa-tnam, on Sunday, Mr Ramesh said, “Toilets are important for any person after getting up early in the morning.” The minister who is pushing his mission to improve sanitation in the country, had earlier said in Wardha, Maharas-htra, that India has more temples than toilets.

“Even now 60 per cent of the people in this country do not have access to toilets,” Mr Ramesh said.

On the demand by some groups that he apologise for his remarks, the minister said, “The Opposition doesn’t have any issue right now, hence they are making it an issue.”

Mr Ramesh was in Paderu to take part in a programme organised by an NGO in the Hukumpeta Agency mandal.

‘He tried to burn me’

By SNV Sudhir

Visakhapatnam, Oct 6, 2012: Tired of being under her mother’s “control” and to escape the alleged “harassment” by her uncle, 19-year-old actor Divya ran away from home on Tuesday.

Divya shot to fame with her role in a low-budget film Oka Romantic Crime Katha. She is now starring as the lead in Pranayam, another low budget movie directed by Vinay Prakash.

“I can’t tolerate my uncle Raju, who is very close to my mother. He even threatened to burn me with acid for not listening to him. My mother never supported me and told me to obey him,” claimed the young actor.

Divya said Raju would always accompany her, even when she spoke with or went out with friends.

“I stayed on a railway platform without food or water,” said Divya who now approached a TV channel seeking help.

Divya’s mother Lokeswari, said, “We are concerned about her career as she is just a teenager. We only wanted to ensure that she is away from any ‘outside’ attractions. We want her back.”

PM Palem Inspector K. Venkat Rao said that the police has not received any formal complaint from Divya.But the cops did get Divya admitted in a hospital.

“Divya is suffering from depression. It will take at least two days for her to recover,” said Dr C.M.A. Zaheer Ahmed of the A.N. Beach hospital.

BHPV-BHEL merger awaiting Cabinet nod

By SNV Sudhir

Visakhapatnam, Oct 4, 2012: The much awaited merger of Bharat Heavy Plate and Vessels Ltd (BHPV) with BHEL is making the former firm’s employees restless as its fate hangs in balance at the PMO’s door.

It is learnt that the said merger is likely to get delayed by six months as it requires a Union Cabinet's approval.

The merger, however, has been recently approved by the BHEL Board which is scouting for a legal firm to facilitate the merger. The formal procedures for the merger have been completed and the file has been forwarded to the Prime Minister’s Office.

The BHPV-BHEL merger has been due ever since Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had announced it in 2008.

Despite the announcement that BHPV would be completely merged with BHEL, the former was made only a subsidiary in May, 2008. Since then, BHPV’s trade unions and local representatives have been pressing for merger.

“It may take at least five months for Union Cabinet’s nod,” said a person close to the development.

Also, workers are skeptical that the merger will happen anytime soon. “Union ministers have been telling us that it will happen soon. But, nothing has materialsed yet,” said CITU president, Ajay Sarma. Meanwhile, rate contract vendors and around 25 ancillary units of the BHPV are bearing the brunt of this delay as the settlement of their bills is being procrastinated.

Plant agitators pin hopes on Deo

By SNV Sudhir

Visakhapatnam, Oct 3, 2012: With Union tribal welfare and panchayat raj minist-er V. Kishore Chandra Deo revoking the licenses giv-en to AP Mining Develop-ment Corporation (APMDC) to mine bauxite in Vizag Agency tracts, those opposing the proposed thermal power plant by a private company in Komarada mandal of Vizi-anagaram district are hoping that Mr Deo would now strive for cancellation of li-censes for the power plant.

Alpha Infraprop Pvt Ltd (AIPL) is likely to set up 2,640 mw thermal power plant at Kotipam village in Komarada mandal. While government acquired certain portions of the land and allotted it to set up the plant, the AIPL bought some more tracts in and around four panchayats in Komarada. Nearly 1,675 acres are needed to establish the power.

The environmental public hearing by APPCB was also held at Kotipam for the plant on December 4, 2009, which was opposed by majority of locals, fearing destruction to environment, ecology and loss of valuable agriculture lands. Several attempts by promoters of thermal plant to lay foundation stone were also resisted by locals.

On June 20, 2012, locals clashed with the plant staff when they tried to fence the area that was allotted to them by the government.

Mr Deo too wrote a letter to Chief Minister Mr N. Kiran Kumar Reddy in May this year, strongly opposing the thermal plant, stating that the proposed plant will lead to destruction of large tracts of cultivable and horticultural lands, besides causing damage to natural barriers.

“If licenses were issued for project which is detrimental for farmers of the region, such licenses can always be withdrawn,” he said in his letter to the CM, and also questioned why such licenses were issued in such a hush-hush and secret manner.

Mr Deo also criticised minister for forests Mr Satrucharla Vijaya Rama Raju for going public, saying that the plant would come up as licenses were already issued.

“We are hopeful that Mr Deo will not allow the plant to come up here against the interests of locals. There is unanimity among us on opposing the plant. None of us are for the plant. Everyone is opposing it. Now, that the Union minister revo-ked bauxite mining licenses, we are hopeful he wou-ld strongly fight against the plant,” said Kotipam The-rmal Power Plant Vyathir-eka Porata Samiti convenor Mr V Srinu Naidu, while speaking to this correspondent. The proposed plant comes under Mr Deo’s Araku Parliamen-tary segment.

Green project hits roadblock

By SNV Sudhir

Visakhapatnam, Oct 2, 2012: After the delay by various PSUs in grounding the ambitious “Green Visak-ha” project, now objections raised by encroachers in various parts of the city has become a matter of co-ncern in the implementation of this prestigious project as envisaged by Chair-man of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Environment, Science and Technology and Rajya Sabha member T. Subbarami Reddy.

In an attempt to check pollution in city which is surrounded by industries and PSUs, the project was taken up to plant 40 lakh saplings in the next five years with a target of eight lakh saplings each year.

Vuda is leading the project with its technical and supervisory support and AP Pollution Control Board and district administration are coordinating the project with the support of PSUs and industries.

Around 21 PSUs and industries were given target to plant saplings and post plantation care. While Coromandel and NTPC were almost up to the mark in planting saplings as per the target given, Visakhapatnam Port Trust and HPCL were lagging behind, which was found at a recent review of project in city.

“Initially it was some organisations not meeting the targets or not at all taking up the project that plagued the implementation of the project, now daily we get at least one objection being raised by encroachers on government land when that piece of land is visited by the staff to plant saplings. But we have instructed staff to go ahead with the work by keeping such objections aside,” said an officer monitoring the project on daily basis. Such objections are more witnessed in Gajuwaka and Autonagar.

The officer also said that these issues are being taken to the notice of district collector V. Seshadri regularly.

Sapling plantation is in full swing in Visalakshi-nagar, Hanumathawaka, industrial area, port area, Gajuwaka, Autonagar and many other places. Already three lakh saplings were planted out of target of eight lakh.

“We are hopeful that the remaining target will be achieved very soon. The concerned tahsildars are being approached by the staff if there are any problems locally,” Vuda’s divisional forest officer (DFO, B.V.A. Krishna Murthy told this correspondent.