AP revokes bauxite mining lease

Andhra Pradesh government has cancelled the bauxite mining lease in about 1, 520 hectares in Jarella of Chintapalli agency area in Visakhapatnam district.

The GOs to this effect were issued here on Thursday stating that ‘ the Government hereby revokes the mining lease grant for bauxite in Jarrela of Cintapalli Reserve Forest, Ananthagiri and Araku of Visakhapatnam district given in favour of Andhra Pradesh Mineral Development Corporation (APMDC) for a period of 30 years.

The earlier government had earlier granted 30-year lease for mining bauxite in the agency area through three separate GOs and in the terms of reference has stated that the mining should be carried out after taking necessary clearances.

The two year period for starting the work ended in January 2017 and the terms of the agreement could not fructify on account of the impossibility of performance due to recurring acts of violence in the Naxal prone area because of opposition to the prospect of mining in tribal areas.

The public opinion and mood of the locals were against the mining of bauxite in tribal areas and the work did not commence due to violence and other untoward incidents.

The mining lease was in various parts of the agency area to APMDC which in turn had signed an MoU with private parties but could not carry out the task.

The stretches and extent of land given by mining are: 113.192 hectares in Ananthagiri RF, 152 hectares in Chitapalli RF, 93.886 in Galikonda of Ananthagiri, 617 hectares, 460 hectares and 85 hectares in Jarrela of Chintapalli aggregating to 1,520 hectares and the Government has revoked all of them through six GOs.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Minister for Tribal Welfare Pushpa Srivani had expressed her gratitude to Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy for keeping up his word and banning bauxite mining in tribal areas.