As promised to the people of tribal areas of Visakhapatnam during his padayatra before the last assembly elections, YSR Congress party president and chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday ordered cancellation of bauxite mining lease in 1,520 acres of Visakhatpatnam agency areas.
A GO to this effect was issued on Thursday. The order said the mining lease granted for bauxite in Jarrela of Chintapalli reserve forests of Ananthagiri and Araku of Visakhapatnam district given in favour of Andhra Pradesh Mineral Development Corporation (APMDC) for a period of 30 years, was cancelled.
The 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 be fructify on account of impossibility of performance due to recurring acts of violence in the area because opposition to the prospect of mining in tribal areas.
The public opinion and mood of the locals was 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.
Deputy Chief Minister Minister for Tribal Welfare Pushpa Srivani had expressed her gratitude to the chief minister for keeping up his word and banning bauxite mining in tribal areas which will be remembered by Advasis for a long time to come.
