Halt illegal transport of granite slabs from forest block: AIARLA

‘District Collector should conduct an inquiry on the issue’

The All India Agricultural and Rural Labour Association (AIARLA) on Saturday demanded that the authorities take steps immediately to halt the illegal transportation of granite slabs from the Cheemalapadu forest block near the Kalyanapulova reservoir in Ravikamatham mandal of Visakhapatnam district. “We urge the District Collector to conduct an inquiry into this illegality,” said P.S. Ajay Kumar, national secretary of AIARLA.

He also alleged that on Friday night a police team from Kothakota police station headed by a Sub-Inspector threatened the local adivasis and got three lorry loads of granite transported out of the area.

“Since May this year, forest officials had been standing guard to the granite slabs and machinery that were in the custody of the Forest Department. However, since Friday afternoon they have disappeared from the area. The mining company is reportedly carting away the granite without even the requisite documents. We demand that a case be lodged immediately against those doing this ,” he said.

“These granite blocks, numbering about 197 and belonging to the Stone Plus company, were seized by the Forest Department on May 1, 2020 from compartment No. 800 in the forest block. These granite blocks as well as other machinery are being transported out of the area without any permission and local adivasis have been holding dharnas in front of these vehicles since the past two days but there has so far been no intervention by higher officials,” he said.

“The Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), in a report dated June 8, 2020, submitted to the Conservator of Forests mentioned about the illegal mining of granite being carried out by the company. However, no action has been taken against the company and no report has been submitted to the government seeking cancellation of the mining permission,” alleged Mr. Ajay Kumar.

He said that the present Conservator of Forests, who was then the DFO, had reportedly accorded the NOC to the company.

“Visakhapatnam DFO had conveyed to the Assistant Director, Mines Department, on February 28, 2020, that the mining being carried out by Stone Plus granite company in the Somalamma Konda was located in the reserve forest and therefore no permission be accorded without consulting the Forest Department. What is seriously objectionable is that despite this, the Mines Department went ahead and gave permission. We therefore demand that these permits be cancelled forthwith. These permits are being used to cart away during the night the granite slabs that were earlier seized by the Forest Department on May 1 this year,” he said.

“We also demand that the vigilance wing of the Mining Department carry out an inquiry into this,” added Mr. Ajay Kumar.

Earlier, Visakhapatnam DFO had submitted a report to the Director, Mines, and the District Collector on March 16, 2020, stating that the lease accorded to Stone Plus in the Somalamma Konda must be cancelled forthwith because it is located in the Reserve Forest.

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