VISAKHAPATNAM: The Human Rights Forum (HRF) demanded that the environmental public hearing for two proposals to mine quartzite, scheduled to be held on August 18 at Dalivalasa and Gavarapalem villages under K Kotapadu mandal of Anakapalli district, be cancelled forthwith. All permissions accorded for mining quartzite to the two project proponents must be revoked.
K Sudha - HRF State general secretary and VS Krishna - HRF AP and TS Coordination Committee member said that a two-member HRF team visited the area on August 13 and spoke with local residents, most of them farmers and sheep-rearers, and looked at the effects of quartzite mining there since many years. For about 18 years, the hills abutting the villages of Dalivalasa, Marrivalasa, Pindrangi and Gavarapalem were ravaged because of mining for quartzite by the same project proponents who now want to mine for another 20 years. Shockingly, the mining was done without the mandatory environmental clearance, a fact admitted by the proponents. This was in plain violation of the Environment (Protection) Act. The matter went to court which penalized them a ridiculously paltry sum of Rs 10,000 each for this illegality, they added
