CONTROVERSY surrounds the illegal mining for gems and other precious stones that has been reportedly going on in Vishakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh. According to Renuka Chowdhury, a mem@er of Parliament, the mining scandal - involving nearly Rs 700 crore and jeopardising the lives of the local tribals - has taken place with the connivance of the state government.

The minister for environment and forests Kamal Nath has stated that a high-level team will investigate to check if there was:ny violation of the Forest Conservation Act in the reserved forests in and around Vishakhapatnam. While a total of 14 cases of mining were booked by the state forest department and another 2 by the police, all these were compounded by the state government. The environment ministry is now seeking clarifications from the state for the withdrawal of the cases.