IANS reported that the Telugu Desam Party threatened to stop transport of iron ore in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh after a central empowered committee appointed by the Supreme Court slammed illegal mining activity by a firm owned by Mr G Janardhan Reddy tourism minister of Karnataka on the Andhra and Karnataka border.

Mr N Chandrababu Naidu president of TDP said that if the government failed to stop mining activity in Anantapur district by the Obulapuram Mining Company in 2 days, his party would stop trucks transporting iron ore.

Mr Naidu who is running a campaign against illegal mining, demanded that the government immediately cancel all mining leases and seize iron ore in the region. He alleged that Mr K Rosaiah CM of Andhra Pradesh, like his Karnataka counterpart Mr BS Yeddyurappa had surrendered to the mining mafia and had shut his eyes to the illegal activities of the OMC.

He said that “The Mr Rosaiah government should be ashamed of itself after reading the report of the central empowered committee.”

Mr B Satyanarayana Andhra Pradesh’s minister for Panchayati Raj said that the government would take necessary action after going through the committee’s report.

OMC is facing allegations that it is carrying out illegal mining in the lease areas of other mining companies, forest land and also indulging in illegal transport of iron ore between the 2 states.

Mr Naidu said that the committee’s report had vindicated his party’s stand that OMC looted public wealth with full support from then Mr YS Rajasekhara Reddy late chief minister. He has alleged that the illegal mining had caused a loss of INR 10,000 crore to the state during the last few years. They are illegally mining 3,000 tonnes of iron ore, thus looting INR 10 crore of public wealth every day.

Mr Naidu reiterated that Mr Janardhan Reddy also pumped in money into Sakshi, the Telugu daily and television channel owned by Mr Rajasekhara Reddy’s son and Kadapa MP Mr YS Jaganmohan Reddy.

(Sourced from IANS)