JOIN USThe chief minister said he would act against the Reddy brothers if there was proof of illegal mining by them. “Let the Congress come out with proof against the Reddys. I will immediately act against them,” he told reporters here.
He was replying to questions on how Karnataka Lokayukta Santosh Hegde would be able to carry out a free and fair probe against illegal mining when the Reddy brothers, accused of interests in mining business, were part of the Karnataka Cabinet.
“I have admitted on the floor of the House that the State was witnessing illegal mining activities for the last 15 years,” he said. Meanwhile, the global steel giant ArcelorMittal has paid Rs 600 crore to the Karnataka government for land in the Bellary district where the company is planning to build a mega steel plant. “ArcelorMittal’s plant is to come up in Kuduthini in Bellary district. It has given us Rs 600 crore for land,” Yeddyurappa told reporters here after the meeting of the National Development Council.
The world’s largest steel maker had last month entered into a pact with the Karnataka government to set up a Rs 30,000-crore plant and got about 4,000 acres of land in the iron ore rich belt.