Illegal mining: SOI team begins survey on AP-Ktk border

A Survey of India team assisted by officials of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka today began work on the survey of the border between the two states in Bellary district in the wake of illegal iron ore mining.

The SOI team led by Suvarna Subba Rao has been joined by officials of mines and geology from both the states and would fix the border stones from Rupanagundi in Sandur taluk in Bellary district bordering Andhra Pradesh, officials said.

The Obulapuram Mining Company, with which former minister Janardhana Reddy was associated, had allegedly shown some parts of Bellary district bordering Andhra Pradesh as belonging to it while indulging in illegal mining.

The Supreme Court had also in a case relating to border issue between the two states, asked Karnataka government to take the help of SOI to set right the discrepancies.

In October last year, Revenue Ministers of both the states held a meeting against the backdrop of the Supreme Court's direction to fix the disputed boundary in Bellary.In its report to the apex court, a panel headed by an Additional Surveyor General of Survey of India had said, both the state governments have given mine leases on either side of the boundary as per their interpretation of inter-state boundary which is a matter of dispute between adjoining holders.

The report had also said, some of the lease boundaries fall on the inter-state boundary between Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, and there are many discrepancies in the boundary of six mines which can be measured only after demarcating the state boundary.

The Karnataka cabinet had recently requested the SOI to carry out a survey of the border between Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh in Bellary district and fix the border stones.