New Delhi, April 24: The Supreme Court today granted one more week to the high-level committee to submit a report on the survey of the iron ore mining area leased out to Obulapuram Mining Company owned by Gali Janardhan Reddy in Anantpur district.
A bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan directed the committee, comprising members from the Geological Survey of India (GSI) to complete the entire survey by April 30. The court fixed the next hearing on the same day.
The court also directed the committee to supply copy of its report to all parties two days prior to the hearing.
The court’s direction came after Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium appearing for the committee requested for some more time to conduct the survey.
Earlier, the court, which had stayed all transportation and mining of iron ore by Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC) had directed to complete the survey by April 22.
The court had said it would wait for the final report by the committee before passing any further order.
On April 9 Attorney General G E Vahanvati and the Solicitor General, appearing for the Andhra Pradesh government and the GSI respectively, had told the court that it was very difficult to survey the disputed area as everything was uprooted including pillars demarcating the boundary between Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh along the Bellary reserve forests, where the lease was granted for mining.
They further said that till survey is completed there should be no mining in the area as suggested in the interim report. The mining activity would disturb the process of survey as the boundary would have to be re-demarcated and pillars would have to be re-erected.
Earlier, on April 9 the committee had submitted its interim survey report suggesting that the mines were leased to them on the basis of a sketch map of the area having appreciable misclosure surveying error.
The committee further said various other issues including the issue of boundary dispute between Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka adjoining Bellary reserve forests has to be resolved before demarcation of mines can be started.
–Agencies–