Boundary redrawn to aid Reddys

Maps of mining areas did not match with the original: CEC

The Central Empowered Committee (CEC) of the apex court had on Friday recommended that all mining activities of the Obulapuram Mining Corporation be stopped immediately.

It has also observed in its report that the AP government has “re-fixed” the Karnataka-AP inter-state boundary demarcations in the Bellary reserve forest area, which in turn benefited the OMC owned by Tourism minister Janardhana Reddy.
In a reaction to the CEC’s report, OMC managing director B V Srinivas Reddy, however, said in a statement that it was “an ex parte report” as his company had not been given a hearing. He contended that the report was “without jurisdiction” as the Supreme Court had not directed the CEC to submit such a report.
But the CEC report maintained that the AP government had re-fixed the junction point of the villages of the two states in the boundary area.

It said “the position of the junction point, where the Survey of India had set up its geo-trigonometric station (GTS centre) to demarcate the boundary of the tail-end villages of two states –– H Siddapuram and Obulapuram (AP) and Halakundi and Vonnahalli (Karnataka) has been shifted.” In fact, the Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) had ordered suspension of mining leases as early as April 2009 based on its regional office’s report. The ministry had also directed the Survey of India to conduct a detailed survey of the mining leases.

However, the AP forest department in its letter dated April 28, 2009, informed the MoEF that all the five mining leases had been adequately demarcated on the ground and none of the lessees had encroached on any forest land adjoining their mining area. Following this letter, the MoEF kept in abeyance its earlier order to suspend mining activities.

The AP government in its report had stated that the demarcation of mining lease areas had been done on the basis of 1896 forest map. Along with the 1896 forest map, the AP government had also submitted the recent maps of mining lease areas in the reserved forest area.

 The CEC, on verifying the maps submitted bythe  AP government, noticed that the recent maps of mining leases areas did not match with the original forest map of 1896.  

No CBI inquiry: CM
In Bangalore, asked if he would refer the matter to the CBI, Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa said the situation did not warrant a CBI inquiry. “The time to act against them has not yet come. Wait and see,” he said.