Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam
GO on rehabilitation over bauxite mining raises several questions
Santosh Patnaik
What surprises many is the fact that a panel has been set up without completing detailed evaluation
VISAKHAPATNAM: The State Government has formed a 10-member committee, headed by the District Collector, to look after rehabilitation necessitated by the proposed mining of bauxite ore in and around Jerella area near Chintapalle, raising many an eyebrow.
The clearances issued for bauxite mining for Jindal South West Holdings Limited and Anrak Aluminium Limited floated by Ras al-Khaimah Investment Authority and Penna Group were put on hold in August 2010 following a directive from the Ministry of Mines.
Minister's orders
The then Union Minister for Mines, B.K. Handique, passed the orders in response to a representation by Araku MP V. Kishore Chandra Deo due to fears over threat to livelihood of locals and the environment.
In his order he said all clearances would be put on hold till a detail evaluation by a committee of experts by the Ministry of Environment and Forests.
What surprises many is the fact that even without completing the detailed evaluation a committee has been set up, with officials and local representatives to take up rehabilitation issues.
A GO vide Ms. No. 40 constituting the committee was issued on May 3 on the recommendation of AP Mining Development Corporation.
The GO says that the Social Management and Rehabilitation Committee had been formed for Visakhapatnam to implement the social management and rehabilitation schemes in and around Jerella area.
The APMDC Vice-Chairman and Managing Director stated that Indian Council of Forest Research & Education (ICFRE), Dehradun, had prepared EIA and Environment Management Plan for Jerrella Block-III bauxite mines and recommended constitution of the committee to sensitise/ensure implementation of rehabilitation activities, administer financial flow, prioritise activities, advise in project implementation mechanism of identified quantifiable criteria and indicators and monitor and evaluate them.
Rehabilitation packages
The committee would decide upon various economic rehabilitation packages and training programmes from time to time, keeping in view the needs of the people and ensure people's participation in various identified schemes.
Confusion
“The issuance of GO creates utter confusion at a time when the Central Government has put under abeyance all the clearances issued to bauxite mining projects.
It gives an impression that the State Government does not want to listen to voices of the civil society,”
Rebbapragda Ravi, executive director of Samata, the NGO fighting against mining in scheduled areas, told The Hindu on Wednesday.
He said that until the concerns expressed over threat to local communities, eco-system and other issues pending before the Delhi High Court were addressed, the APMDC should not take up mining.
