No hasty decision in permitting uranium mining in Nalgonda
Published by MAC on 2003-08-21No hasty decision in permitting uranium mining in Nalgonda: Naidu New India Express
21 August 2003
Hyderabad: Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday said that nothing would be done in haste in the matter of allowing mining and processing of uranium deposits in Nalgonda district.
His assurance comes in the wake of stiff resistance from a host of NGOs and environmentalists opposed to the project.
Speaking to mediapersons at the NTR Bhavan here, he sad that the government would look into the concerns voiced by the environmental groups over the possible radiation threat to lakhs of people in surrounding areas. "No final decision has yet been taken on the matter," he said.
The chief minister also acknowledged receipt of a representation from the Opposition Leader Y S Rajasekhara Reddy seeking cancellation of the project in public interest. "Different views are being expressed and we need to know the opinion of the experts too," he said.
The Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) has proposed a project at Lambapur village in Nalgonda district over an extent of 1,316 acres, about 140 km from here, and set up a processing plant between Duggyala and Mallapuram villages over an extent of 795 acres.
The activists of Movement Against Uranium Project (MAUP), an umbrella body of several NGOs opposing the project, are planning to submit a memorandum to the chief minister on the issue very soon. They would also be calling on Governor Surjit Singh Barnala.