Nandyal (Kurnool) | March 01, 2016: The red clay bricks of Nandyal are famous for their strength. The bricks are the most preferred ones in the construction industry in the district and neighbouring Karnataka. The great demand for the bricks has led to indiscriminate mining of red clay in government, agricultural and assigned lands in the division. Though there are galore of mining rule violations by the suppliers of red clay, no action has been initiated against them. The revenue and mining officials, for reasons better known to everyone, have remained silent though the large scale illegal mining of red clay is causing a huge revenue loss to the State exchequer.

The price of a tractor load of red clay ranges from Rs 1,200 to Rs 1,500. Generally, the brick manufacturers need to apply for permission to the Department of Mining and Geology to excavate red clay. Permission is given for excavation of red clay after the payment of royalty. After bifurcation of the State, the department stopped issuing permits for excavation of red clay in the division. Restrictions were also imposed on its transport.

Despite the curbs, excavation of red clay is going on unabated in the division. The suppliers of red clay and some middlemen are cashing in on the increase in demand for the material. Hundreds of tractor loads of red clay are being exported every day from the area with the connivance of some revenue and mining officials. Lured by the huge profits in supply of red clay, some people have been excavating the material from agricultural fields at Boyalakuntla village in Sirivella mandal for the past three months. But no action has been taken against the illegal transporters of red clay.

Some locals alleged that the illegal mining activity was going on with the clandestine support of the village revenue officer and the Tahsildar concerned. Denying the charge the VRO and the Tahsildar maintained that the matter would not come under their jurisdiction and it was the Department of Mines and Geology which was empowered to take action against the illegal transporters of red clay. Meanwhile, farmers and villagers expressed concern that the indiscriminate mining of red clay would affect the fertility of soil in nearby agricultural fields, besides causing environmental pollution, if the illegal activity was not curbed immediately.

(Source: http://www.thehansindia.com/)