Illegal Mining Case: Gali Janardhana Reddy May Face Fresh Action
Investigations had earlier found that nearly 2.89 million tonnes of iron ore were illegally extracted and transported from reserved forest areas, including Vittalapura and Tumati.
Gangavathi MLA Gali Janardhana Reddy may once again face legal and administrative scrutiny after the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change directed the Karnataka Forest Department to submit a report on the alleged illegal mining activities of the Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC).
OMC has long been accused of violating the inter-state boundary between Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Investigations had earlier found that nearly 2.89 million tonnes of iron ore were illegally extracted and transported from reserved forest areas, including Vittalapura and Tumati.
It is noteworthy that a CBI court had previously convicted Janardhana Reddy in connection with the illegal mining case.
Report Alleges Encroachment into Karnataka:
A few months ago, a team led by retired judge Sudhanshu Dhulia conducted a drone survey in Malapanagudi village of Rayadurg taluk in Andhra Pradesh to examine mining lease boundaries.
The survey covered several mining lease areas, including:
Antharagangamma – 68.50 hectares
BIOC Company (Siddapura) – 27.12 hectares
Y. Mahabaleshwarappa Sons – 20.24 hectares
OMC (Obulapuram) – 25.98 hectares
OMP-2 – 39.50 hectares
The report found that the mining lease boundaries of OMC (39.50 hectares) and Antharagangamma (68.50 hectares) did not match the approved limits. As a result, the team concluded that these companies had encroached into Karnataka territory.
The report was reportedly submitted to the Union Environment Ministry by complainant Tapal Ganesh.
Complainant Slams State Authorities:
Complainant Tapal Ganesh alleged that Janardhana Reddy had illegally extracted mineral wealth worth Rs 884 crore by using mining permits issued in Andhra Pradesh to transport iron ore from Karnataka.
He claimed that despite clear evidence of illegal mining, Karnataka officials had failed to act. Ganesh said that even after the CBI court’s findings, the authorities had not taken appropriate action, prompting him to approach the Union Environment Ministry.
According to Ganesh, acting on his complaint, the Centre has now directed the Karnataka government to submit a detailed report on the matter, potentially reopening scrutiny into the controversial illegal mining case.
