It is reported that Andhra Pradesh’s State Human Rights Commission issued notice to the Singareni Collieries Company Limited to reply to the petition filed by Protection of Biodiversity and Environment Foundation general secretary T Venu on open cast mining in coal belt area.

Mr Venu in his petition to the SHRC said that open-cast mining was affecting villagers in the coal belt area and wanted a ban on it.

Mr Venu said that instead of open cast mining, SCCL could increase the number of underground mines which could create employment to thousands of people and cause little damage to the environment and added that another adverse affect of open-cast mining was depletion of groundwater.

(Sourced from Express News Service)