Vizag Girijans Attack MLAs

The girijans of the Dumbriguda mandal in the district of Visakhapatnam made it clear to the government that they would not be suppressed by political power.

The state government had permitted a private company named Transworld Services to mine China clay in an area of 15.6 hectares in Dumbriguda. It has been estimated that 15,000 tonnes of clay would be mined annually by the company.

The tribals fear that such mining could adversely affect the environment, and had earlier voiced dissent over the proposed mining project.

When Telugu Desam Party (TDP) member and Araku MLA Siveru Soma visited the Saray village on Wednesday to convince the villagers that the project would do them no harm, the irate crowd showered him with dung and mud. He was manhandled by the women present, and his car was sabotaged.

Dumbriguda mandal President Korra Dhanna Rao met a similar fate, and was chased by the villagers for almost a kilometer before he mananged to give them the slip.

The Human Rights Forum demanded that the government bow down to the demands of the tribals and withdraw the lease on land granted to Transworld Services.