Bellary, July 17: Officials of Indian Bureau of Mines, Survey of India, Forest and Revenue Departments of Karnataka, in the absence of Mines and Geology Department o f f i c i a l s o f Andhra Pradesh, started survey of mining areas of bordering Andhra Pradesh on Thursday. The joint survey was taken up as per a Karnataka High Court order, following complaints from mining companies and other lease owners.
It was alleged that Andhra Pradesh based Obalapuram Mining Company (OMC), for which Minister G Janardhan Reddy is one of the directors, has encroached upon border areas of Karnataka and involved in illegal mining in border areas at Tumati and Vittalapur regions of Sandur taluk in Bellary district.
Central Government senior official BB Sinha, who is leading the survey work, told the reporters that they were not viewing the issue as an inter-State border dispute. “We are considering it a dispute between two mining companies located in these two states,” he clarified. The survey work that started in the afternoon on Thursday is expected to be completed in two days, he said.
Heavy police bandobast was made at Tumati mining area, where members of Rajya Raita Sangha and Hasiru Sene were present in large numbers.
Tahasildar Venkatesh, Deputy Conservator of Forests Mutthiah, former minister and DCC president M Diwakar Babu, Hasiru Sene leader Desai Jadiyappa and other leaders witnessed the survey work.
–Agencies–