In 2015, the Andhra Pradesh Mineral Development Corporation (APMDC) was given a 30-year lease for mining bauxite in Jarrela and Chintapalli Reserved Forests in Visakhapatnam, aggregating to 1212 hectares. The APMDC had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with private parties - Jindal South West Holdings Limited and Anrak Aluminum Limited - to undertake operations. Around 8,000 tribespeople, who will be directly affected by the proposed mining, have protested against the project. The two-year period for starting the work ended in January 2017. Work could not commence due to opposition from the forest dwellers. Former Union Tribal Welfare Minister V. Kishore Chandra Deo said, "As per the Panchayat (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act and the Forest Rights Act, tribal people are the natural owners of minerals available in reserved forests. The APMDC has no right to either take up mining on its own or through other agencies. It is registered under the Companies Act and the majority stake in the corporation might go to private hands anytime. The lease deeds were cancelled in September 2019 on the grounds of non-compliance of applicable laws and failure to obtain environmental clearances as well as clearance from the Pollution Control Board. Revocation of these leases was also a key poll promise of the current Andhra Pradesh government.