Illegal mining: Minister lauds SC move

Speaking with mediapersons after laying the foundation stone for the construction of the Zilla Patrika Bhavan here on Saturday, he said the truth will be revealed after the completion of the survey by the joint committee, as per the orders of the Supreme Court, in the district.

The minister said Bellary was one of the most backward districts in the State before 1999. In the 1999 Lok Sabha elections, Bellary became the centre of attraction for the first time in the country when Sushma Swaraj and Sonia Gandhi contested the elections for the first time.

Later, it was in the news for all the wrong reasons. In spite of the various development works worth more than Rs 2,000 crore being implemented in the district, it has become the centre of focus only for illegal mining, he added.

Reddy alleged that the media, instead of focusing on the positive side of Bellary, was misleading the people by giving a false image of the district, based on the imaginary reports prepared in Bangalore and New Delhi.

Health Minister B Sriramulu, MLA G Somashekhar Reddy, Mayor Parvathi Indushekhar, Zilla Panchayat president Aruna, Deputy Commissioner A A Biswas, Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Muttaiah and several others were present on the occasion.