Agency areas of Visakhapatnam district, home to huge reserves of semi-precious stones, are witnessing a comeback stray incidents of mining as locals hope to strike a fortune by embarking on ‘treasure hunts’.
The tribal areas of the district are home to the world-famous Alexandrite, a bluish green stone which turns red when it comes in contact with light, ruby, cat’s eye, aquamarine and zircon.
A mining syndicate had thrived in the Agency areas in the 1990s, with organised gangs procuring stones through middlemen and selling them to affluent traders in Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Odisha. The stones would be extracted mainly during the rainy season, and would be procured by traders through middlemen at Narsipatnam, the gateway to the Agency areas in the district.
Once a tiny mandal headquarters, Narsipatnam soon became a flourishing town due to the advent of the mining activity in the 1990s. Tribals would be hired in large numbers to dig through the night. Karaka and Popusettipalem in Golugonda, and other hilly places in Koyyuru, Narsipatnam, Chintapalle, Madugula, Munchingput and Paderu mandals were the areas where large deposits of semi-precious stones were concentrated.
However, the mining activity came to a grinding halt after the Popusettipalem accident in 1996, in which 17 workers were buried alive in a mine collapse.
Since then, only a few stray incidents come to light. A year ago, six precious stones were seized and some persons arrested for indulging in illegal mining near Chintapalle.
Turning the screws
Regular checks and opening of a forest checkpost at Karaka reserve, a major attraction of the mining lobby, is said to have significantly impacted the mining activity. Another reason is said to be the shift of the mining syndicate to more lucrative avenues like ganja cultivation in tribal areas.
"Organised mining has stopped completely following coordinated raids by police, forest and mining officials. Occasionally, the locals undertake mining as part of treasure hunts," Additional Superintendent of Police K. Arif Afiz told The Hindu.
After Popusettipalem, a few fatal incidents and a public outcry against illegal mining and unsafe methods adopted to extract the stones led to an increased vigil by the authorities. "The end of organised mining has been a welcome relief. Now, there is a need to educate the locals to not take up mining, which is very risky," Ganjivarapu Srinivas, a social activist, said.