VISAKHAPATNAM: Notwithstanding strong protests from tribals and a 48-hour bandh in the Agency area, the Central government is likely to give the nod to bauxite mining in the forests of Chintapalle and Ananthagiri in Visakhapatnam district.At least, that was the indication one would get at the end of the public interaction here on Thursday by the fourmember expert committee appointed by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) to study the implication of the proposed bauxite mining.Meanwhile, the expert committee is contemplating to make a secret visit to the tribal hamlets before submitting their report.While the expert committee only appeared to favour bauxite mining, highly placed sources revealed that the Union government has already taken a decision to permit excavation of bauxite and the visit of the expert committee was just an eyewasher.“Already, huge investments have been made for the establishment of refining plants. People in the Agency areas are not understanding. Once the mining starts, the lifestyle of tribals will change drastically. A lot of employment opportunities will come up in the region and the Agency area will be developed,” said a senior official.He said the government was also keen on the project to check Maoist influence on tribals.Even the members of the expert committee expressed similar views.Committee chairman JC Kala said mining may not cause much harm to the environment and tribal livelihood, as per the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report on bauxite mining.Talking to newsmen here on Thursday, JC Kala and other members said as per the reports prepared by APMDC, 20 percent of the profits from bauxite mining will be spent on development activities in tribal areas.Kala said they came with an open mind to study the implications of the proposed mining and they succeeded partially in their goals.He regretted that the members could not interact with tribals directly at Chintapalle, Arakuvalley and Anantagiri mandals due to Agency bandh.Speaking on the aerial survey of Jerrela bauxite deposits on Wednesday, Kala said the aerial survey is the best method to assess the situation instead of a visit to the spot.He said considering all the observations and representations from various sections of people they would submit a comprehensive report. However, the committee is contemplating to make a secret visit to tribal hamlets before submitting their report as they wanted to interact with the tribals which could not be succeeded due to the Agency bandh.
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