Expert panel makes aerial survey

VISAKHAPATNAM: The four-member expert committee, appointed by the Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) to visit the Jerrela bauxite mines in the Agency areas of the district and address the apprehensions and misgivings of the tribal people, shirked from going to Jerrela by road for the second day on Wednesday in view of the Agency bandh and strong protest from tribals. Instead, the team, split into two groups, made an aerial survey of the mine areas. They remained air-borne and did not land, fearing attacks from the agitating tribal people. In fact, the agitators were armed and were waiting at the place to attack the expert team. Soon after the aerial visit, a large number of irate tribals gathered at Chintapalle, shouted slogans against the district collector and burnt him in effigy, and announced that they would not participate in  the public hearing to be held by the  expert committee and the district administration at the Circuit House here on Thursday.The expert committee is led by its chairman and former director-general of forests and former chairman of National Environment Appellate Authority (NEAA) JC Kala, former principal chief conservator of forests M Kamala Naidu, Tribal Cultural Research and Training Institute's former director VNVK Sastry and director-general of Administrative Staff College of India SK Rao. It was accompanied on its visit by by collector Lav Agarwal, principal chief conservator of forests N Prateep Kumar, APMED managing director Mukhesh Kumar Meena and the Narsipatnam DFO.Leaders of tribal unions and the CPM said the state Pollution Control Board (APPCB) had conducted a public hearing at Chintapalle on October 3, 2008 under tight security and without any tribal participation, and gave environmental clearance to Anrak Aluminium Limited, a joint venture between Ras al-Khaimah and the Penna group, for bauxite mining through AP Mining Development Corporation.They alleged that even Samata, an NGO working in tribal areas in the north-coastal districts of the state, filed a case at the National Environment Appellate Authority (NEAA) seeking cancellation of environmental clearance to the APMDC, citing that the public hearing on bauxite mining in the Jerrela block was held at Chintapalle where the tribals strongly opposed bauxite mining but JC Kala, the then chairman of NEAA, had sent a report in favour of mining.Notwithstanding the boycott threat, the district administration is gearing up to conduct the meeting at the Circuit House here on Thursday. With tribal people and other groups set to stay away, the public hearing may have the participation of only NGOs and political leaders.Meanwhile, members of the Forum for Better Visakha have alleged that the state had originally shown its inclination to recommend to MoEF that the Chintapalle region be declared a ‘protected biosphere’.