Malkangiri: Scores of villagers from several villages under the Khairaput block in Malkangiri district Wednesday staged a demonstration against a proposal to grant mining lease to a firm from Andhra Pradesh for a stone quarry at Amakunda village.
The protesting villagers submitted a memorandum to the district collector through Khairaput tehsildar urging for cancellation of the lease. They also threatened that if the district administration does not respond to their request, they will stage another demonstration.
According to the villagers, they depend on the forest for their livelihood. During winter, they also earn a good income as many tourists come here to witness the beauty of nature.
‘If stones are dug out from here, it will destroy the natural environment of the area. After this, the tourists will be not attracted to visit the place. Which in turn will affect the livelihood of the villagers,” alleged a protester.
Another protester further alleged, “Once the deal is finalised, stone mafias from Andhra Pradesh will get a chance to smuggle the valuable stones. That is why we are strongly protesting against the proposal and have urged the government to cancel the deal”.
PNN
