Gowda alleges illegal mining by Reddy brothers

They have been extracting 15,000 tonnes of iron ore everyday and exporting it through ports in Chennai and Krishnapattanam in Andhra Pradesh, he said.

At a press conference in Bangalore, Gowda said the Reddy brothers have already cleared a portion of the hill (Ramgada), known for presence of high quality iron ore. He also showed copies of photos of mining activity at the place.

A few parts of the hill belongs to the Forest Department. The Reddys have been extracting the ore without valid permits. They were getting 40 per cent of ore extracted by 48 companies in the district forcefully, he said. However, Gowda did not produce any documents to establish his charges.

The former prime minister said that IFS officer U V Singh had also reported the illegal mining at Ramgada in his report to the government. Gowda said he would take out protests against the activities. He said he had attempted to raise the illegal mining issue for debate in Parliament for 15 days. But he could not succeed as both the ruling and the Opposition parties in Parliament avoided the issue. Both the parties had selfish motives in the illegal activity, he alleged.

He said Anjaneya, an ex-employee of OMC company, had appealed to the Supreme Court to be an approver and a witness against OMC before the CBI and the Survey of India. He was provided with security personnel after he complained to the Human Rights Commission that he was facing threat to his life. “But the government had withdrawn security provided for him recently. The Chief Minister and Home Minister should take blame if he or his family members come under attack,” he said.