Andhra Pradesh
Buddhavaram village, Gannamavaram mandal, near Vijaywada
,
Chintapalli
,
Visakhapatnam
Published :
Jun 2020
|
Updated :
Bauxite Mining Leases in AP's Chintapalli Forest Cancelled after Protests from Tribespeople
Reported by
Surabhi Bhandari
Legal Review by
Anmol Gupta
Edited by
Anupa Kujur
Households affected
8000
People affected
2015
Year started
1212
Land area affected
Households affected
8000
People Affected
2015
Year started
1212
Land area affected
Key Insights
Sector
Mining
Reason/Cause of conflict
Bauxite Mining
Conflict Status
Ongoing
Ended
Legal Status
Region Classification
Rural
Ended
Sector
Mining
Reason/Cause of conflict
Bauxite Mining
Conflict Status
Ongoing
Ended
Legal Status
Region Classification
Rural
Ended
1
Summary

In 2015, the Andhra Pradesh Mineral Development Corporation (APMDC) was given a 30year lease for mining bauxite in Jarrela and Chintapalli Reserved Forests in Visakhapatnam, aggregating to 1212 hectares. The APMDC had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with private parties Jindal South West Holdings Limited and Anrak Aluminum Limited to undertake operations. Around 8,000 tribespeople, who will be directly affected by the proposed mining, have protested against the project. The twoyear period for starting the work ended in January 2017. Work could not commence due to opposition from the forest dwellers. Former Union Tribal Welfare Minister V. Kishore Chandra Deo said, "As per the Panchayat (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act and the Forest Rights Act, tribal people are the natural owners of minerals available in reserved forests. The APMDC has no right to either take up mining on its own or through other agencies. It is registered under the Companies Act and the majority stake in the corporation might go to private hands anytime. The lease deeds were cancelled in September 2019 on the grounds of noncompliance of applicable laws and failure to obtain environmental clearances as well as clearance from the Pollution Control Board.

2
Fact Sheet

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Refusal to give up land for the project

Complaint against procedural violations

Demand to retain/protect access to common land/resources

Opposition against environmental degradation

Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Region Classification

Rural

Type of Land

Common

Forest and Non-Forest

What was the action taken by the police?

How many people did the police detain or arrest?

What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?

Did the person face any violence while in police custody?

If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?

If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?

Legislation under which the accused was charged

Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?

In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?

Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?

Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?

Details of sources (names of accused, names and numbers of any lawyers, names of any police officers contacted)

Status of Project

Original Project Deadline

Whether the Project has been Delayed

Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users

Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict

Source/Reference

Total investment involved (in Crores):

20000

Type of investment:

Year of Estimation

Page Number In Investment Document:

Has the Conflict Ended?

Yes

When did it end?

September 27, 2019

Why did the conflict end?

The lease deeds were cancelled in September 2019 on the grounds of non-compliance of applicable laws and failure to obtain environmental clearances as well as clearance from the Pollution Control Board.

4
Additional Information

Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:

Principal Chief Conservator of Forests & Head of Forest Force; Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

PSUs Involved in the Conflict:

Andhra Pradesh Mineral Development Corporation Ltd

Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?

Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached

Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:

Jindal South West Aluminium Ltd, Anrak Aluminium Ltd

Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?

Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:

Tribal communities of Khond, Nooka Dora, Bagata and Manne Dora

5
Information on the use of criminal law

What was the action taken by the police?

How many people did the police detain or arrest?

What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?

Did the person face any violence while in police custody?

If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?

If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?

Legislation under which the accused was charged

Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?

In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?

Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?

Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?

Legal Supporting Documents

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Author
Reported by
Surabhi Bhandari
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Fact sheet

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Refusal to give up land for the project

Complaint against procedural violations

Demand to retain/protect access to common land/resources

Opposition against environmental degradation

If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?

Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?

In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?

Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?

Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?

Status of Project

Original Project Deadline

Whether the Project has been Delayed

Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users

Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict

Source/Reference

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