Gali says will continue AP mining

The Karnataka tourism minister, Mr Gali Janardhan Reddy, said on Wednesday that mining activity at the Obulapuram Mining Company which he runs in Andhra Pradesh would not be suspended at any cost.

He added that he had received no official communication from the Andhra Pradesh government ordering the closure of OMC which is facing allegations of illegal mining activity.

Mr Janardhan Reddy’s comments came even as the AP government issued orders suspending mining activity in the Obulapuram mines and transportation of the already mined ore.

When mediapersons asked him whether he would stop mining operations if he got the show cause notice, Mr Janardhan Reddy replied emphatically: “No.”

He criticised the central empowered committee of the Supreme Court for making recommendations on the mining activity without any orders.

“The Supreme Court has not asked CEC to make any recommendations,” he said. “It has submitted this report without even visiting the site. OMC is making large profits, and this is the reason I am being targeted.”

He said the four mining companies he ran in AP were vital, as the entire raw material was meant for the Rs 25,000-crore Brahmani steel plant in Kadapa.