HYDERABAD | Apr 26, 2015: Taking a serious view of the alleged illegal mining operations on the land leased out by the government in Mahbubnagar district, a division bench of the Hyderabad High Court has directed the district collector to probe into the alleged illegal mining operations at Nethonipally village in Maldakal mandal of the district.
The bench comprising Chief Justice Kalyan Jyoti Sengupta and justice PV Sanjay Kumar made this order in a writ petition filed by Nethanna and five others of the district seeking directions to the government to restrain the respondent Bandla Chandrasekhar Reddy from doing illegal mining/quarrying on the government land in Survey numbers 7 and 34 of the said village.
The petitioners complained that the said respondent has been indulging in illegal mining operations by using blasting material without lease or license on the government land and also running stone crushing units in survey numbers 23 and 24 without permission from the authorities. Besides, the respondent has been causing enormous damage to the houses and fields of the petitioners who are scheduled tribes of the village and also causing air, water, sound and land pollution in the area, they added. The petitioners sought the court to direct the mines department to stop transportation of minerals from the respondent’s unlicensed and unleased mining area and crushing units without dispatch permits.
After hearing the case, the bench directed the district collector to conduct enquiry into the issue and also to give an opportunity to both the petitioners and the concerned respondent for hearing their version.
The bench said that the collector shall take appropriate steps if found illegal operations in the area.
(Source: http://www.newindianexpress.com/)