IAS officer appears before CBI in mining case

Bhanu, an Assam cadre officer who is currently the Tea Board chairman, was on deputation to the Andhra Pradesh government in the capacity of former special secretary to the then chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officials were questioning him regarding his role in granting iron ore mining leases to OMC in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh.
The IAS officer reached the CBI office at Koti around 10.30 a.m.

The CBI, which is probing the illegal mining case, had last week issued Bhanu a notice asking him to appear before the investigating agency. He had first appeared before CBI sleuths Nov 15.

Bhanu, son-in-law of former union minister of state P.V. Rangaiah Naidu, is a 1985 batch IAS officer of Assam cadre.

Konda Reddy, one of the applicants for iron ore mining, has told the CBI that Bhanu rejected his application and favoured OMC owned by Janardhana Reddy, who was close to the then chief minister.

The officer, who was picked up by YSR soon after he came to power in 2004, was sent back by Andhra Pradesh government after the then chief minister's death in a helicopter crash in 2009.

Bhanu is the second IAS officer being questioned by the CBI in the case. It already grilled Y. Srilakshmi, who is currently family welfare commissioner in the Andhra Pradesh government.

As then industries secretary in charge of mining, she is believed to have played a key role in granting mining leases to OMC. She figures as accused number four in the case.
The CBI Nov 12 arrested former director of mines V.D. Rajagopal and is currently questioning him.

Janardhana Reddy and OMC Managing Director B.V. Srinivas Reddy who were arrested Sep 5 are currently lodged in Chanchalguda Central Jail here.