The Telugu Desam party vehemently opposed the proposed mining of bauxite in agency areas of Vishakhapatnam, on Thursday the party opposed the meet organized by the expert committee. The people interaction session convened at the Circuit House at Vishakhapatnam turned out to be a ‘people-less’ session. TDP, BJP, CPI and CPM activists protested against it and a majority of the tribals said they opposed the mining. While most of the tribals boycotted the interaction, only a few from Araku, Anantagiri, GK Veedhi and Chintapalle mandals submitted their representations.

The few who came to the sessions asked the committee about employment opportunities and guarantees for tribal if mining is taken up in their lands. A few days ago, the district administration told the media that all political parties, NGOs and tribals could express their opinions at the interaction, but police allowed only a few persons to participate. The public interaction concluded with only a few representations from political parties and tribals.

At Hyderabad the TDP deputy flood leader Gali Muddukrishnama Naidu said they opposed the mining considering its impact on the environment. He also added that the government’s proposal shall affect the livelihood of tribals and jeopardize their interests.