Obulapuram Mining Co owned by Karnataka Tourism Minister Mr Gali Janardhan Reddy said that it has not received any notice on alleged illegal mining in Anantapur district in Andhra Pradesh.

Mr BV Sreenivasa Reddy MD of Obulapuram Mining said that “We came to know through the media about the notice issued to the company. We will respond once we receive the same. We are surprised that the officer concerned approached the media before the company was served a notice.”

Mr Reddy was reacting to media reports that Anantapur district forest officer Mr Kallol Biswas had issued a notice to Obulapuram seeking an explanation on how it had illegally excavated iron ore worth INR 25 crore over the past two years. Obulapuram has been accused of having illegally excavated iron ore in areas beyond that allotted to it.

Obulapuram promoter and Karnataka minister Mr Janardhan Reddy is a business associate of Mr YS Jaganmohan Reddy the son of the late Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy.

The issue has created political heat in the state on several occasions with the main opposition, the Telugu Desam Party alleging that the Congress government showed undue favour in extending mining lease to the company.

(Sourced from sify.com)