Hyderabad: Social activists and people’s organisations have resolved to support the villagers of Mailaram in Balmoor mandal of Nagarkurnool district by waging a legal and political struggle against the mining of Mailaram Gutta in their village.
Activists from various organisations held a round-table meeting at Sundarayya Vignana Kendram on Sunday, January 5, after being invited by the affected villagers, who alleged that false cases were being foisted against them by the police, who they claimed, were acting at the behest of the contractor who has been mining the hillock for minerals for the past few months.
Speaking on the occasion, advocate Raghunath who has been representing the villagers in their legal battle said that the hillock which was rich in biodiversity, neither belonged to the government, nor any landlord, but was a common land on which not only the villagers and their cattle but wildlife is dependent.
He opined that the lease of the hillock to a contractor wouldn’t stand legally, and stressed that just changing the extent of the area to be mined from 100 to 50 acres in the lease wouldn’t change the form of the land.
He said that it was outrageous to see that not just public opinion from the people was ignored, but the documents were forged and fabricated, with government officials and the contractor working in tandem.
Veekshanam editor N Venugopal said that after permitting mining once if that lease was cancelled based on the violation of the condition of the lease, once again giving it on lease could be contested in the courts of law.
He suggested the villagers wage a movement on the ground, and questioned those who were either in favour of the mining or simply turning a blind eye.
Professor G Haragopal said that the villagers’ struggle wasn’t just about protecting their hillock but also about protecting nature, climate, and the region’s future.
In 2004, during the UPA rule, environmental clearance (EC) was given for mining minerals from the hillock. The villagers have been opposing the move since then.
The villagers of Mailaram have been alleging that fudged signatures were taken from the people to pass the gram sabha resolution.
The hillock is close to five villages, all within a 5-kilometer radius, sparking fears among residents over potential ecological impacts. The hillock located just 3.5 kilometers from the core of the Nallamala forest is raising environmental and community concerns.
Villagers in Mailaram boycotted the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in protest of ongoing mining on their land. Previously, they had threatened to boycott the 2023 assembly elections with the slogan “Vote Vaddu Gutta Muddu,” (we don’t want to vote, the hillock is dear to us,) but were persuaded to vote after assurances from political leaders.
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