The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Visakhapatnam News : CPI(M) seeks probe into illegal mining

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Dec 23, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam

CPI(M) seeks probe into illegal mining

By Our Staff Reporter

VISAKHAPATNAM, DEC. 22. The district unit of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has demanded a judicial inquiry into the illegal mining of semi-precious stones in the reserve forests.

``We also want the Mining Department to qualify the stones found, since their importance is being reduced by calling them semi-precious. The State Government must come out with a clear-cut policy on mining,'' the party secretary, M.V.S. Sarma, told reporters here on Wednesday.

The officials concerned had failed to take any specific steps to contain the illegal mining, he alleged.

`Mining continues'

Recalling the long history of the mining in several areas, Mr. Sarma said, in 2002, the then in- charge District Collector, M. Tirumala Krishnababu, had listed incidents of quarrying based on newspaper reports and wrote a letter to the Superintendent of Police. Mr. Sarma said that the responsibility of curbing the activity mainly lay with the Forest Department followed by the Police.

On a petition filed by the CITU Narsipatnam division secretary, Talari Satyanarayana, the Revenue Divisional Officer issued a specific order on August 4, 2003, that all the pits dug in the Karaka reserve forest be closed with concrete, the CPI(M) leader said and added: "However, the mining has been going on.''

Devalued

He said that Narsipatnam had become a hub for the semi-precious stone business. Two days after the cave-in at Karaka, business had resumed on Wednesday, he pointed out. Though bind over cases were booked against 105 persons, the notices were served only to 40 persons.

The value of stones was being intentionally reduced, he felt. The Hyderabad-based Institute of Gems and Jewellery had said that 70 per cent of the stones that came for reference to it belonged to the cat's eye (Lapus Lazuli) category.

Mr. Sarma feared that the plan for de-notification would be seen as a justification for the mining activity and that it also had limitations.

The CPI(M) district unit executive members, A. Balakrishna and Mr. Satyanarayana, were present at the press conference.

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