Plea filed with NGT over illegal mining in land alloted to Dalits

Hyderabad: A petition was filed with the National Green Tribunal (NGT) Southern Zone Bench in Chennai seeking action against the alleged illegal mining of red soil and gravel in about 900 acres of land allotted to Dalits in the Peddapuram constituency of Kakinada district, Andhra Pradesh. The bench has numbered the petition, and it is awaiting hearing.
The petitioner, Karri Venkata Ramana, a resident of Peddapuram, alleged that the illegal mining activity had been rampant for over a decade. "The ruling and opposition parties vowed to stop it, but nothing much happened. This resulted in a gross violation of legal and constitutional safeguards, significant environmental degradation, and a threat to the livelihood of local farmers in Rameshwaram, Surampalem, Anuru, Kondapalli, and Gundlametta Hill," he said in his petition. Venkata Ramana alleged that the entire activity was carried out by local politicians and the sand mafia in the area, in connivance with the authorities concerned.
Mining unsanctioned areas
He said that even though soil excavation was allowed only up to 200 metres in the permitted sites, the miners were excavating up to 400 metres deep and in areas very close to human habitation. The petitioner said that in the past, the district collector and other authorities inspected the area and found that illegal mining was taking place. "They warned of stringent action, including criminal cases under the provisions of the SC & ST Act, but nothing has changed and the illegal mining continues unabated," alleged Venkata Ramana.
The petition also alleged that those involved in illegal mining claimed to be excavating soil for highway construction and had obtained letters of intent from private contractors to justify their activities. However, instead of restricting their activities to official projects, they were illegally excavating soil from layouts and private land and selling it for huge sums. "This practice not only violates environmental regulations, but also causes permanent damage to fertile agricultural land, rendering it unfit for cultivation," he alleged.
He also claimed that farmers whose livelihoods depend on growing crops such as cashew nuts and mangoes are unable to continue farming because of the pollution caused by mining. Taking advantage of this, the mining mafia started deceiving the Dalit farmers with false promises of high returns and, in some cases, coercing them into relinquishing their lands under the threat of invoking the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, the petition alleged.
Stringent action against violators
Seeking urgent attention to the matter to prevent further exploitation of the land and to ensure justice for the affected farmers, Venkata Ramana appealed to the NGT to direct the AP govt, Kakinada district collector, AP forest department, department of mines and geology, Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change, and central pollution control board to conduct a joint and comprehensive investigation into the issue of illegal mining in Peddapuram and surrounding areas.
He urged them to initiate stringent action against the violators and protect the lands of Dalit farmers from illegal miners. He also urged the bench to issue directions for compliance with the mining and environmental protection rules to prevent further damage to the area.