Andhra CM seeks Centre’s intervention over laterite mine classification changes
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday urged the Centre to take immediate steps to address issues arising from changes in the classification of laterite mines.
In a letter to Union Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy, the chief minister sought intervention to protect pending mining lease applications affected by the recent decision to classify laterite with 20 per cent or more aluminium content as bauxite instead of a minor mineral.
“I request the Union Government to provide a saving clause for laterite and allow the pending applications to be processed under the earlier rules with a relaxation period of two years,” Naidu said in an official release.
The chief minister said the Centre’s decision has brought the mining lease process in Andhra Pradesh to a standstill, forcing the state government to temporarily keep on hold 402 applications that were earlier processed under the minor mineral category.
He said the pending applications comprise 19 Letter of Intent applications, 113 government land applications, 255 forest land applications and 15 patta land applications. Naidu noted that hundreds of applicants had already spent crores of rupees towards application fees, land purchases and forest clearances under the earlier regulatory framework.
He recalled that when minerals such as mica, quartz, feldspar and barytes were reclassified from minor minerals to major minerals in the past, the Centre had provided a saving clause and sought similar relief for laterite.
The CM said such a relaxation would prevent financial losses to hundreds of applicants and help avoid potential legal disputes arising from the change in classification.
He further said that implementation of the saving clause would ensure uninterrupted availability of raw materials for the cement, iron ore and road construction industries while safeguarding employment opportunities.
