Bauxite mining crucial for the State: AP Govt readies to convince the locals

Bauxite mining in Andhra Pradesh Vishakha Agency area remains a jinxed issue as tribals continue with their protests against State government’s initiative to unlock the state’s mineral development potential.

However, N Chandrababu Naidu’s government seems to be doubly determined on this issue and rules out any possibility of backing out from it. In fact, it has lined up a series of actions to convince the protesting tribal organizations with the hope that they would eventually give their consent to the project expected to fill the State coffers.

According to the sources, Chief Minister had already given the task of convincing the local tribal people to allow mining of Bauxite in the agency area to HRD minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao and panchayat raj minister Ch Ayyanapatrudu, who belong to Visakhapatnam district. It is hoped that in today's cabinet meeting to be held at Vijayawada, Naidu will raise the issue again.

He is likely to leave no stone unturned to convince the warring parties about the benefits of the planned bauxite mining project. So, he will explain his colleagues first the need to go for bauxite mining to procure financial resources for the construction of the new capital city, Amaravati. He has to elaborate on sustainable methods of bauxite mining and say how he plans to rehabilitate the mined area on completion of the project. Only then, he can expect to win over them and most importantly, the locals who are to be affected initially (but benefitted later on) once mining starts in Vishakhapatnam Agency area.

This determination on the part of a willing Indian State government is a welcome gesture as it signals advancement towards the right direction, but for which the much needed infrastructural development will once again experience a severe setback.

The talk on revival of effort by the State Government to undertake bauxite mining in the hilly terrains of Visakhapatnam has evoked tremendous interest in various quarters. According to industry grapevine, projects worth over INR 25,000 crore by Jindal South West Aluminium Ltd, Anrak Aluminium Ltd, and Nalco are waiting to be placed before the ministry once bauxite mining commences in Vishakhapatnam.