Calls for halt to beach mineral projects grow louder in AP

Former IAS officer and social activist EAS Sarma on Monday decried reported attempts by the authorities to engage a reputed infrastructure company as projected developer and operator for planning, engineering, financing, construction, development, operation, and maintenance of Integrated Beach Sand Mineral (BSM) Projects at Gara in Srikakulam district and Bheemunipatnam in Visakhapatnam district.

The two projects have an annual beach mineral capacity of 10 million tonnes. The only qualification for the bidder seems to be that they should have prior mining experience, Sarma said in a fresh representation mailed to the Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy and the Secretary, Department of Mines, Government of India.

He pointed out that in fact, a few days before the amendment to Mines and Minerals (Development & Regulation) Act, the Adani Group formed two subsidiaries specifically for beach sand mining in Odisha and AP, giving one an inevitable impression that the Adani Group and the Ministry of Mines were literally acting in tandem, a situation that calls for a high-level enquiry.

Sarma requested the DAE and the Mines Ministry to intervene urgently and prevent the AP Government from going ahead with the allotment of beach sand mining areas to any private party including the Adani Group, failing which he will be constrained to infer that both the Centre and the State are acting in tandem to grant undue favours to the Adani Group and called for an enquiry.