CPI Protests Against Mining Mafia

The mining mafia will rule the state soon, if the state government did not initiate proper measures to control it, warned Communist Party of India state general secretary K Narayana on Thursday.

Narayana was speaking after leading a protest at Paleru Bridge, against the illegal leasing-out of rich iron ore mines in Bayyaram to private companies.

Narayana, along with MLA Sambhasiva Rao and MLC Puvvada Nageswara Rao, told the protestors that the government had no authority to lease out the mining rights to private companies in tribal areas.

They said that the government had violated all norms in the lease allotment of the mines, which fall under the tribal belt in 3 mandals of Khammam and one mandal in Warangal district.

The leaders demanded that all the mining lease deals and licenses be immediately scrapped.

Narayana accused the state government of negligence by not initiating any action against the 'mining mafia', which he said is posing a great threat to the government by dictating terms. He said that the state government should follow Karnataka's lead of imposing a ban on the export of iron ores.

Narayana alleged that mines worth thousands of crores of rupees were being looted from the state. The CPI leader urged the government to take up mining on its own and set up mining-oriented industries in tribal areas and provide employment opportunities to them.

Meanwhile, police took into custody several leaders of CPI including Narayana, Puvvada Nageswara Rao and Telugu Desam MLA Abbaiah, for their road blockades and disruption of traffic.

The CPI activists had staged the dharna across the district in response to a call given by the party central leadership. Apart from the rasta roko, the CPI activists also formed a human chain in Bhadrachalam.

Meanwhile, in Hyderabad, the CPI activists staged a dharna demanding action against irregularities and illegal allotment of mines, at A P Mineral Development Corporation in Ameerpet.

The protests here, too, urged the government to scrap all mining leases with private companies, and demanded an inquiry into all mining leases by a sitting judge of the High Court.

Courtesy: INN