The webland says 874 acres in Survey No. 233 is Oorakonda mini-reservoir site near Rajam village in Butchaiahpeta mandal but the locals are shocked to see that 25 hectares of land in that area has been allotted for granite mining.
All is set to start granite mining by the local “granite mafia” but the people are not accepting it and they would not also allow it, convenor of CPI (M) Chodavaram division of the party G. Nayana Babu said as he addressed a dharna organised by the Rajam Anti-Granite Struggle Committee in front of the Collectorate here on Monday. Rajam villagers, including many women, participated in the dharna. While the small and marginal farmers are expecting an assured water source to their fields from the mini-reservoir, they are facing an adverse situation due to granite mining, he said.
The sanction was accorded without consulting the locals on the excuse that mining in an area less than 100 hectares extent does not need such an exercise, he said. But the granite mining would adversely affect the villagers who are living on the cashew and mango groves they have raised in the area, and cultivating small extents of land with the water that come down the hill and collected in ponds. Their cattle also graze on the area around the hill.
Granite mining would cause lot of pollution, Mr. Nayana Babu and member of the CPI (M) district secretariat member D. Venkanna said.
Plea to people
They appealed to the people not to fall prey for the inducements promised by the granite company. Later the villagers submitted a memorandum to the Collector.
