Since decades, the Andhra Pradesh (AP) government has been trying hard to unearth the vast bauxite reserves in the Eastern Ghats despite campaigns and protests from the tribal community. The tribal communities believe that bauxite mining would not only render thousands of tribal people homeless, but it would also sound the death knell for the community's cultural diversity and the endemic biodiversity of the Eastern Ghats. Instead, the state government is hurrying to sign agreements with private firms for bauxite mining.