Jindal's proposed alumina plant at Vizag faces opposition

The proposed Rs 4,000-crore alumina plant to be set up by the Jindal group in Visakhapatnam district has run into rough weather. A few non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are strongly opposing bauxite mining in the agency area.

NGOs like Samata and Andhra Pradesh Girijana Sangam say that if bauxite mining is allowed in the agency area, about 10,000 Girijans in G K Veedi, Ananthagiri and Araku mandals would be affected as the coffee plantations grown by them would get destroyed.

Moreover, they have questioned the government as to how many tribals benefited from coal mining at Kothagudem and Nalco (National Aluminum Company) mining at Damanjodi.

The proposed mining blocks were the catchment area to important rivers like the Sileru, Machkund and other tributaries of Gosthani and Sarada, and that the mining would endanger rare species of flora and fauna, they noted.

The state government recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Jindal group for setting up an alumina plant in Visakhapatnam district.

As per the MoU, the Andhra Pradesh Mining Development Corporation (APMDC) will take up the bauxite mining in Visakhapatnam agency area, which according to initial estimates has bauxite reserves of about 900 million tonnes and supply it to the Jindals.

To start with, APMDC plans to take up bauxite mining in Galikonda and Raktakonda of Borra and Yaguvasobha panchayats.

Jindal group officials have identified a suitable place for setting up the alumina plant. According to their requirements, the state government is acquiring about 4,000 acres of land at Chodavaram and Devarapally areas, adjacent to the agency belt.

These areas are more convenient for transporting bauxite ore from forests to the plant area. The state government is also planning to lay a long conveyer belt to save forests from getting destroyed during bauxite ore transportation.

The state government also plans to start a training institution to rope in tribal youth for bauxite mining. "About 10,000 tribal youth would get employment. That's why, the government wants to train these youth in a phased manner," a senior state government official told Business Standard.

But this has failed to convince the NGOs. Both Samata and the Andhra Pradesh Girijana Sangham are jointly organising a padayatra from Dharakonda to G K Veedi covering about 300 kilometres, which will be concluded at G K Veedi on August 4. The two organisations are mobilising public opinion against the bauxite mining.

A few days back, both the organisations held a rally and staged a dharna at the Ananthagiri mandal office.

They also organised a rasta roko and foiled a meeting on mining awareness called by the mandal revenue officer for mandal presidents, Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies (ZPTCs), Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituencies (MPTCs), sarpanches and village secretaries of Ananthagiri mandal.