More time sought for AP-K'taka boundary survey

The Surveyor General of India (SGI) has sought another month’s time from the Supreme Court to complete the task of determining inter-state boundary between iron-ore rich areas in Andhra Pradesh and Bellary-Hospet region of Karnataka.

In an interim report, SGI Swarna Subba Rao informed the apex court that the field inspection, which was to take place between April 13 and 17, could not be undertaken as the district officials were “awfully busy” in view of the parliamentary elections in Karnataka on April 17.

The apex court’s green bench had directed the SGI intervention on the request by both Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka for resolving the boundary dispute, in view of the CBI probe into the illegal mining allegedly by former minister Janardhana Reddy-owned Obulapuram Mining Company and others in Bellary and surrounding areas.

The SGI informed the court that it had already written to the collector at Bellary in Karnataka and Anantpur in Andhra Pradesh to provide necessary security and logistic support to its technical team.

Before initiation of the process, a letter was, however, received from Karnataka’s Chief Secretary, requesting the SGI to postpone the field visit and inspection as all revenue and police officers were busy on poll duty.