Hyderabad, November 07: Even as illegal mining by the Obulapuram Mining Company is kicking up clouds of controversy in two States, the AP Government has chosen, by and large, to remain a silent spectator.
Its role has been confined to merely “reviewing the situation’’ and while it has directed the officials to “act’’, in the absence of specific instructions the officials of the department concerned have been able to do nothing beyond whistling in the dark.
The irregularities by OMC, headed by G Janardhan Reddy, tourism minister in the Karnataka government, have continued for the last one month, despite various political parties urging the State to act against the company.
The Telugu Desam Party has submitted memoranda to the Chief Minister and the Mining department secretary in this regard.
Meanwhile, Divisional Forest Officer of Ananthapur Kallol Biswas, who issued five notices to the company, was called by forest department higher-ups to the capital. They are reportedly verifying the notices given by him, and their “context’’ and “contents’’ — an exercise seemingly leading nowhere.
A review meeting held by Chief Secretary P Ramakanth Reddy recently directed the forest department to take “action’’.
However, till Friday, no specific action to be taken either by the mines department or the forest department was proposed by the government.
OMC is carrying on mining activities in 140 hectares in the D Hirehall mandal of Ananthapur district, and its rival, the Bellary Mining Company, has charged it with encroachment.
The case is being heard in the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court has asked the Central Empowered Committee to look into the issue and make suitable recommendations.
From then onward, the State Government has taken little interest in the matter.
However, a survey was conducted by the revenue, forest, mines and Survey of Land Records departments in May this year and a report was submitted to the government. It said it was the Bellary Mining Company which had encroached on the OMC.
The issue took a weird turn last month when DFO Kallol Biswas served notice on OMC alleging that it had encroached on the BMC area — a contention contrary to the findings of the May report.
This created a situation in which the government seemed to be questioning the credibility of its own report.
Meanwhile, an official of the mining department stated that only an “impartial’’ survey could resolve the dispute.
But for this again, the Revenue, Forest, Mining and Survey of Land Records departments have to take up a joint survey. And the order has to come from the chief minister.
So far, Rosaiah has not ordered any resurvey.
All of which appears to suggest that the government is allowing the OMC to carry on unhindered in its activities for now.
–Agencies