MV 79: People of many villages in Pusuguda and Motu panchayats of Malkangiri voiced concern that a stone mine being operated in the area will cause massive water logging in downhill areas.
They opposed the stone mines being operated in the area. Hundreds of people from nearby areas gathered in the area by observing COVID safety guidelines, held a meeting at Muraliguda village and deliberated on the impact of the stone mining.
The meeting was attended by Motu sarpanch Muna Sodi and a number of ward members, who expressed their concern over the issue.
“All villages in Motu panchayat are on the downhill of the Peta stone mine. Owing to mining, the hill is being hollowed out, creating craters. In the monsoon, water will gush into all villages and hundreds of farmland in the downhill areas. After the hill is reduced to craters, problems of people will multiply,” they lamented.
On the other hand, due to the Polavaram project of Andhra Pradesh, Motu and its peripheral areas lying close to the Godavari river face water logging in the monsoon for days together.
The villagers and the people’s representatives demanded that the government should pay heed to the safety and plight of people living in low-lying areas in the region.
The sarpanch told media persons that stone mining should be immediately halted.
They warned if the government does not take any steps to halt stone mining, a massive agitation will be held in the coming days.
They said that they would submit a memorandum to the state government through the Collector.
Notably, a few weeks ago, people of Ammakund under Khairaput block staged protests against a bid to lease out a stone quarry to an Andhra Pradesh-based company. Residents of seven panchayats had submitted a memorandum to the local tehsildar to restrain the company or any other entity from extracting stone from sites near Ammakund. People of this tribal-dominated district mostly depend on forest produces for their livelihood. The mining area spreads over 600 acres and if allowed, it will affect the eco-tourism spot, some villagers alleged.
PNN