Visakhapatnam: The white paper on bauxite mining, released by Chief Minister N. Chandrabau Naidu on Tuesday has conveniently ignored the directions issued by the Union tribal affairs ministry on behalf of the Union government to the state government to cancel the mining leases given to state run mining agency, Andhra Pradesh Mineral Development Corporation (APMDC).
The joint secretary to government of India A.K. Dubey in an office memorandum of the Tribal affairs ministry sent to the then state chief secretary Minnie Mathew on September 28, 2012, said that by virtue of the powers vested with the Union government vide clause 3 of the fifth schedule to Constitution, about the executive powers of the union, issued directions to AP government to cancel the mining leases to APMDC and also file compliance.
The office memo no 18013/2/2012C & LM II, indirectly referring to Maoists, said that the area where the AP government had issued licenses has been a witness to spurt in activities of insurgents who have been using these areas for their purposes.
It’s worth mentioning here that, Maoists off late stepped up their opposition openly against the proposed bauxite mining in Vizag Agency and have also kidnapped three TD leaders of GK Veedhi. “There is no mention about this memo or directions issued by the Union to the state government asking it to cancel the mining leases given to APMDC, in the white paper. There is also no mention about Mr Naidu’s letter to the then Governor, asking him to cancel the mining leases using his special discretionary power, in the whote paper released,” said Vizag graduates constituency, MLC M.V.S. Sarma, who wrote a letter to the chief minister on Wednesday.
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