In a brazen defiance of the law and forest department measures, illegal mining for precious colour stones continues unabated in the tribal hills of Andhra Pradesh's Alluri Sitarama Raju district. Despite the forest department concreting the Siganapalli quarry in GK Veedhi mandal, traders persistently engage local tribals to extract high-value stones like Alexandrite and Cat's Eye (Chrysoberyl), which are in high demand in the Middle East and other international markets.
A Persistent Racket in Protected Forests
The illegal extraction of these semi-precious stones has been a long-standing issue in the region's tribal areas, with roots tracing back to the late 1990s. The activity became rampant in the early 2000s. The stones are primarily found in the Siganapalli Hill, as well as across the mandals of Chintapalli, G Madugula, GK Veedhi, and Koyyuru. Although forest staff maintain a watch, organized groups enter the reserved forest areas at midnight to quarry the hills, evading authorities.
Arrests and Inadequate Deterrence
Local law enforcement has taken some action. The GK Veedhi police recently bound over 18 persons for their involvement in the racket. The list of those bound over included a sarpanch's husband and a liquor trader. However, these measures seem insufficient. Forest officials have registered cases against 14 tribals and businessmen under the Indian Forest Act of 1967. Inquiries are also underway to investigate the potential role of forest staff in the illegal activities.
Tribal graduate Rama Rao Padal highlighted the gravity of the situation, stating that "Bind overs and station bails are not enough to deter miners." He pointed out the dangerous working conditions and exploitation: "Most of those arrested are tribals employed by traders from the plains. They are pushed into rat-hole mining, digging into the hill like rats." This hazardous practice has already claimed lives. Three people were killed earlier when soil collapsed during such mining.
Proposed Measures and Future Steps
In response to the ongoing challenge, the forest department is seeking stronger preventive measures. Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) YV Narasimha Rao confirmed that proposals have been sent to the government for installing CCTV cameras around the vulnerable sites. Additionally, Section 144 of the CrPC, which prohibits the assembly of four or more people, has been imposed around the Siganapalli Hill, which falls under reserved forest. These steps aim to curb the midnight operations and bring a permanent halt to the environmentally destructive and illegal trade that exploits both the land and its tribal inhabitants.
