The Hindu : Karnataka News : CBI searches offices of Bellary mining firms

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Karnataka

Karnataka

CBI searches offices of Bellary mining firms

Staff Correspondent

They include Obulapuram Mining Company owned by Reddy brothers

Bellary: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday began its inquiry into the alleged illegal mining in the Bellary reserve forest, which straddles neighbouring Anantapur district in Andhra Pradesh. The mining firms include the Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC) owned by Karnataka Ministers G. Janardhan Reddy, G. Karunakara Reddy and B. Sriramulu.

In connection with the inquiry, around 50 CBI personnel including officials of the rank of Superintendent of Police searched the OMC office situated near the Fire Station here and another office that houses the Kannada daily Ee Namma Kannada Nadu owned by Mr. Janardhan Reddy on K.C. Road to verify records. The CBI also searched Modi Bhavan, belonging to S.K. Modi, owner of Vibhuti Gudda Mines and Bellary Iron Ore Private Ltd.

A couple of CBI teams visited areas around Obulapuram village in Anantapur district, located on the Karnataka-Andhra Pradesh border. Details about the progress of the investigation, documents/records verified could not be ascertained as none from the CBI was available for comment.

Mr. Janardhan Reddy expressed confidence that the CBI inquiry would exonerate them. “We will come out clean as we have not been doing anything illegal, as alleged. All our activities are in accordance with law and within the framework of the Constitution,” he told presspersons here.

Mr. Reddy appeared to be unperturbed with the searches of his office premises by the CBI, that was going on at a stone’s throw away from his residence.Mr. Reddy, who arrived from Bangalore in his helicopter, kept himself busy with matters concerning the coming elections to the Legislative Council from local authorities’ constituencies.

He said that after coming to know that CBI officials had come for an inquiry, he had instructed his staff to extend full cooperation to the investigating team and provide all records and documents sought by them.

“The inquiry conducted earlier jointly by senior officials of the departments of Forests and Mines and Geology, following charges that the OMC had encroached upon forest land and adjacent mines, had said that the charges were false and clearly mentioned that the encroachment was not by OMC but by BIOP, an adjacent leaseholder. Even the Income Tax raids conducted a couple of years ago did not find any irregularities. Similarly, after the CBI inquiry, we will emerge clean.”

Mr. Reddy accused the Congress of ordering the probe only out of fear and to scuttle the growth of the BJP in south India. He termed “far from the truth” a press report that the high-level committee constituted by the government of Andhra Pradesh had found a lot of irregularities in Anantapur district committed by lessees, including the OMC. He also took exception to the leading regional daily of publishing the news without verifying the facts.

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