Srikakulam, January 29: Tribal beat up assistant director of mines N KoteswaraRao when he, along with additional joint collector P Babu Rao Naidu, was surveying the Kannedhara hillock in the district this morning for the presence of white granite mines.
The tribal people were angry with Koteswara Rao because he is said to have cleared the applications for mining lease without their consent. When the two officials were leaving the area their cars were stopped at the foot of the hillock and renewed their protest. Only after the additional joint collector assured them that their interests would not be compromised that they were allowed to leave the place.
As many as 150 tribals, led by Puliputti panchayat sarpanch K Mukhalingam descended on the hillock while the survey was going on. An area of 1,990 acres on the hillock had been given on lease for mining to Virgin Rocks Limited which is reportedly owned by minister Dharmana Prasada Rao’s son. As soon as the tribals saw Koteswara Rao, they picked an argument with him and, in the heat, beat him black and blue. They shouted slogans that mines department officials were not welcome in the area.
The survey was done at the instance of the district collector who constituted a committee headed by the additional joint collector and has Koteswara Rao as a member. The team was constituted after a hue and cry that the white granite mines were illegally being entrusted to Virgin Rock Pvt Ltd.
When the survey team did its work in the past like interacting with tribals, making field visits, there was no opposition to them. In fact, the tribals who attended the interactions had told the officials that they would support their work.
But today, the tribals, who feared that their livelihood would be at stake if the area was given for mining, said the mining department, without bothering about their culture and livelihood, had cleared the application of the Virgin Rocks.
Mukhalingam, who led the protesters today, recently met chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy to seek an assurance that no mining would take place in the area. “Initially we had thought of agreeing to mining. But now we have decided to agitate against sacrilege of a sacred hill,” Mukhalingam said.
Babu Rao Naidu said that condition of the injured officer was stable. In view of the current situation, the final report, supposed to be submitted to collector N Srikanth by February 10, is likely to be delayed.
Sub-inspector of police SV Ramana said the sitaution was under control and no arrests had been made in connection with the assault on the mines official.
–Agencies