Date:04/10/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/04/stories/2008100453810400.htm

Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam

Public hearing sans people

B. Madhu Gopal

Officials ‘complete’ job on hand at EPH on bauxite mining

— Photo: K.R. Deepak

No to mining: Anti-mining activists walking out of the public hearing at Chintapalle in Visakhapatnam district on Friday.

CHINTAPALLE (Visakhapatnam dt.): A ‘public hearing’ sans people was what it turned to be at the Environmental Public Hearing (EPH) on bauxite mining held here on Friday.

The undeterred officials, who seemed bent on completing the business on hand, addressed empty chairs and ironically even expected answers from them.

All roads leading to the venue were barricaded and there was heavy deployment of armed police all along the route. As if that was not enough, the police reportedly took all the jeeps operating in the agency mandals under their control.

While police sources put the number of personnel deployed at 1,500, unconfirmed estimates put it at 3,000. The police force includes: CRPF, Greyhounds and civil police from various districts. Tribal leaders said that even regular RTC buses to Chintapalle were either stopped or their operations curtailed.

Joint Collector M. Veerabrahmaiah who presided over the public hearing arrived around 11 a.m. Leaders and activists of CPI (M), CPI, TDP and AP Girijana Sangham had already gained entry into the ground and raised slogans denouncing the mining agreement.

Walkout

After giving them about 15 minutes, the officials started reading out the benefits that would accrue to the tribals in the form of employment, better amenities and an improved lifestyle.

The tribal activists and opposition leaders staged a walkout in protest and announced ‘boycott’. The officials, however, continued with the meeting.

The lone ‘speaker’ N.A.V. Prasada Reddy of Andhra University who emerged out of the blue, voiced his concern over the environmental hazard in transport of the ore.

The officials concluded when there was none else to voice views. They said a report would be sent to the Ministry of Environment and Forests. “There is no validity to the public hearing held today. We have protested and staged a walkout,” said coordinator of Samata G. Srinivas.