Visakhapatnam: The Andhra Pradesh High Court has directed the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) to cease all mining activities at Erra Matti Dibbalu, located in Nerella Valasa village of Bheemunipatnam mandal in Visakhapatnam district, and to protect the site, which has been declared a geo-heritage site.
A two-judge division bench, headed by Chief Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur and Justice Ch. Ravi, held a hearing on Wednesday on a petition filed by Jana Sena corporator Peethala Murthi Yadav.
The petitioner’s counsel, K.S. Murthy, argued that Erra Matti Dibbalu was being mined for the construction of houses by the Bheemunipatnam Mutually Aided Cooperative Society, and that one-third of the area had already been excavated. He emphasised that, as the site had previously been declared a geo-heritage site by the Geological Survey of India, it needed to be safeguarded.
After hearing the arguments, the court issued orders to halt mining activities at Erra Matti Dibbalu and issued notices to several agencies under the jurisdiction of both the central and state governments to file their responses. The next hearing is scheduled for eight weeks from now.
