Licences of USHP to continue in Visakhapatnam

Licences were issued to some private persons, to mine in the USHP sites and many applications to secure licenses in this category are pending at, the mines office in Vizag. East Godavari laterite mining licences that were cancelled also come under USHP category. In the G O No: 121 released recently state government had clearly stated that the lessee had obtained NOC from the Revenue Authorities on submission of Pattadar consents obtained by using fraudulent methods by cheating tribal pattadars. The area was shown as USHP by hiding the fact that the tribals were in possession since a long time.

Recently most of these applicants who have applied for larger tracts to mine have withdrawn their applications and fresh applications have surfaced for smaller portions of USHPs in Vizag district. It all started after one such applicant who was granted licence in September last year that these applicants have freshly applied. Locals have been against the proposed mining. A public hearing scheduled to be held a few months ago by the AP PCB, has also been cancelled in the last minute vowing to resistance from locals. “It’s the same case of grabbing licenses in the scheduled areas under USHP category in Vizag. Government should also cancel such licences given in Vizag also. And all the pending applications which are tens in numbers at the local mines office for USHP areas mining should also be immediately rejected, In the GO issued cancelling mining licences in EG district government clearly said, the miner is a benami of non-tribals and fraudulently grabbed NOCs in the name of USHPs. We suspect it is the same group indulging in the same pattern of grabbing licences,” G. Srinivas, who has been fighting against illegal laterite mining told this newspaper.