The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Single central mining zone to protect rock formations

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Oct 09, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Single central mining zone to protect rock formations

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, OCT. 8. The Ranga Reddy District Revenue Officer, Ravi Babu, has said that a `Single Central Mining Zone' will be set up at Bandiraviryala village in Hayathnagar mandal soon.

Responding to the plea of the Society to Save Rocks at a meeting of Mandal Revenue Officers (MROs) in Ranga Reddy Collectorate on Friday, Mr. Ravi Babu said that on establishment of the zone licences issued to miners in the city suburbs for rock quarrying would be cancelled.

He also said that it was mandatory for private landowners to take permission from the MRO concerned for cutting rocks even in their lands. Otherwise, action would be initiated against them. He said Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) could bring to the notice of MROs any disturbance to the rock formations, which needed to be preserved.

Advice to MROs

He also advised MROs to keep in mind the nature formations before sending any proposal for allotment of land for habitations.

Earlier, the president of the Society to Save Rocks, Narendra Luther, said that everyone should strive to protect the magnificent rocky landscape in the land of Deccan from rapacious modernisation.

Addressing the meeting, Mr. Luther called upon officials, NGOs and the elite in society to come forward in bringing awareness among people about the need to preserve rock formations in the district.

The Society secretary, Franke Quader, said there was no city in the world other than Hyderabad that had such beautiful landscapes. Such natural wonders had been falling prey to indiscriminate destruction at the hands of petty stonecutters, crushers and miners, which needed to be checked.

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