HC stays finalisation of calcite mining bids for three weeks

Visakhapatnam Andhra Pradesh High Court has directed the AP Mining Development Corporation (APMDC) from taking any decision with regard to last month's e-tender for awarding of lease to mine calcite in an area of 8.725 hectares in Ananthagiri mandal of Visakhapatnam district.

In response to the the writ filed by Chompi Prasad, president of Sri Abhaya Girijana Mutually Aided Labour Contract Cooperative Society Ltd, the court issued notices to the top officials of tribal welfare and mines departments to explain why under the present circumstances, no tribal individual was in a position to fulfil the criteria prescribed in Serial No. 3 of the eligible criteria of the e-tender. Nimmalapadu, which is located in scheduled areas, contains a lot of calcite and other deposits. The hilly terrains of Araku, Chintapalle and GK Veedhi contain huge deposits of bauxite ore and in the past several attempts to allow mining were dropped following stiff opposition by the local tribals.

The e-tender notification, which was issued last month by APMDC was challenged in the court by Prasad through noted advocate K.S. Murty alleging the notification was meant to allow mining by big shots under the name of benami tribals.

"From the beginning we have been insisting that the attempts to allow mining in the scheduled areas under benami tribal names was in contravention of Samata judgement given in the case filed by us against Birla Periclase Ltd by Supreme Court in 1997," Samata executive director Rebbapragda Ravi told Bizz Buzz on Saturday.

He said that the High Court gave the order on Friday giving a big relief to the tribals of Visakha Agency.

The Samata judgement says that only the State, its instrumentalities or tribals themselves forming into a cooperative societies should be allowed to indulge in mining in the scheduled areas.

Any attempt to circumvent it will go against Panchayat Extension in Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act, Forest Rights Act and other laws," Killo Surendra, an activist of AP Girijan Sangham, said.

Earlier, noted social activist and former IAS officer EAS Sarma dashed off a letter to Chief Secretary Adityanath Das asking him to cancel the notification in the larger interest of the tribals. He said any such decision should have prior approval of the grama sabhas.