Granite mining scams: brewing a protest

The Chodavaram Forest Range in the Visakhapatnam Forest Division and district has rich bio-diverse pockets which are home to a cycad species, known to have been on earth for millions of years: it’s a living fossil. Besides, the forests are home to the Malabar Pied Hornbill, mouse deer, peacocks, leopards, sloth bears, sambar, barking deer, jackals, and King Cobras, to name a few. The forest has a good diversity of plant species.

In this forest tract many Adivasi communities such as Konda Dora, Manya Dora, Gadaba, Konda Reddy, and Bhagata cultivate the valleys and collect NTFPs from the forest. These practices have been going on for centuries without causing any serious damage either to the forests or the environment. This forest also connects the Papikondalu Wildlife Sanctuary through the proposed Chintapalli Biosphere Reserve.

In the recent years, granite miners have descended on the scene and have brought havoc to all forms of life in the hills and valleys with their destructive activities. The entry of miners was made possible by the fact that large chunks of forest tracts were not designated as Reserved Forests; such patches were under control of the revenue department and available for quarrying. In the past, such lands and forests were left alone for the benefit of the communities that live on the forest fringes.

Despite stipulated procedures for obtaining a written consent from the local panchayat, in the form of a resolution, mining companies have managed to overcome these hurdles. Their tricks have include forged signatures, finger prints of villagers opposed to mining, intimidation of the panchayat sarpanch and officials, etc. Until recently, the Tehsildar was the final authority to issue ‘No Objection’ certificates to the mining companies. Thanks to these Tehsildars concerned primarily with making money much state land has changed hands. Our (Vikasa, an NGO working in Andhra Pradesh) application under RTI Act for the copies of panchayat resolutions were not replied to by the panchayat secretary and the Tehsildar, who is the appellate authority under RTI. Further appeals made the State Information Commissioner summon both the officers but they have not appeared before him on the stipulated date. The Commissioner has ordered a cut in the salary of both the village secretary and the Tehsildar and promised us that the information we want will be provided soon.

The Government of Andhra Pradesh has issued an order in January 2013 barring Tehsildars from issuing NOC’s to mining companies due to such irregularities. As an alternative, the government has suggested the formation of a District Level Screening Committee with the Divisional Forest Officer, Revenue Divisional Officer, the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board Engineers and the Assistant Director of Mines and Geology as members of the committee, with District Collector as Chairperson. In turn, the District Collector has to constitute a joint inspection team with the Revenue Divisional Officer, Divisional Forest officer to physically visit the site and verify the facts at hand.

However, the information that was obtained through RTI revealed that, instead of forming the joint inspection teams, the DFO and RDO relied on reports submitted by the Forest Range Officers, Section Officers and Tehsildars before finalizing the NOC’s at the District Level Screening Committees.

Without the joint inspection the District Level Screening Committee has been considering reports submitted by the Forest Section Officers and surveyors of the revenue department. In short, the government order achieved only helped the forest section officers and Range Officers earn extra money. In some cases, according to the villagers, the forest Section Officers even changed the Reserve Forest boundaries to help the miners.

VIKASA has evidence from information received through the filed RTIs that the locations where mining was allowed had forest cover. Some foresters have also reported this; furthermore, in the mining plans the consultant geologists have marked forest in the maps.

An additional point is that granite mines above five hectares in area need environmental clearance from the MoEF as per the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification vide S.O.1533, dated 14-09-2006. The notification states that every state government has to constitute an EIA system within the State Level Pollution Control Boards. VIKASA has sought EIA reports from the A.P. Pollution Control Board under RTI to which the Board replied that preparation of EIAs for mining of color granite does not come under their purview.

Back in the villages many people are getting together to oppose mining. VIKASA has helped form a resistance group and has printed and distributed pamphlets. And the local press is cooperative. Several village groups have started appealing to the district administration on their own, expressing their displeasure.

It is high time, the administration at state and central levels recognize people’s rights, involves them in conservation, and respects their rights over their environment instead of considering natural resources as private properties to be plundered.