Hyderabad : IT & Industries Minister K Tarakarama Rao on Sunday made a statement on the controversial uranium extraction issue in the Legislative Council. Admitting that the State government carried out exploration for finding uranium reserves in Nalgonda district, KTR asserted that no such exploration was taken up by them in the Nallamalla forest in Nagarkurnool-Amrabad belt of the district.
The minister also made it clear that they didn’t give any permission for uranium extraction in the State. He said the Wild Life Protection Department of the State government had already clarified that it would not allow uranium mining in the State even it was found that the Nallamalla forest area had abundant reserves of uranium.
Stating that there are two phases in uranium mining, the minister said uranium exploration would be done by geologists of Centre’s AMD institute in the first phase and take up survey in the second phase. Making it clear that the issue of mining was the State subject, KTR said the State government has no intention to permit uranium mining in the Nagarkurnool district. He also made it clear that no pollution would be caused until uranium purification process was taken up.
The minister alleged that the rival political parties had been resorting to propaganda that pollution would be caused even during the process of exploration of the mineral. He also clarified that the State government neither gave permission for mining in Nallamala forest nor it would not accord any permission in the future as well.
Replying on behalf of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao in the Legislative Council here on Sunday, the Minister informed that it was Congress government, which had given permission in 2009 through GO 127. “However, I do not wish to politicise the issue. I also appeal to all the members not to politicise or make any irresponsible comments since it is a sensitive issue,” said Rama Rao. He also said Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao was a nature loving person and would not accord any permission for uranium exploration or mining in the Nallamala forest. (NSS)
