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Thursday, September 8, 2011

Indian iron ore mining mess - Probe uses satellite images

Thursday, 08 Sep 2011

The CBI took recourse to satellite imagery to trace huge amounts of iron ore stacked illegally around Obulapuram Mining Company.

While OMC promoters claimed they had been excavated from the Obulapuram mines, investigators discovered that most stocks found there had been transported illegally from mines dotting the Karnataka to Andhra Pradesh border.

The satellite images, a CBI source claimed, nailed the lie of the OMC promoters. The source said that "It was clear that iron ore from other mines had been carted to Obulapuram mines and shown as an OMC product.”

While Obulapuram mines are located in Andhra Pradesh's Ananpur district, OMC's head office is located in neighboring Bellary, which falls in Karnataka. Besides Janardhana Reddy, his brothers Karunakara and Somsekhara are the co promoters of OMC.

CBI, along with the Survey of India, had earlier this year been asked by the Supreme Court to undertake a survey of the iron-ore mines leased to the Reddy brothers in Anantpur district. As part of the survey, the two agencies are learnt to have taken recourse to satellite imagery.

The Reddys are accused of mining far beyond the 25.9 hectares their company was allowed. CBI alleges the Reddys dug deep into the Bellary Reserve forest area, which includes portions of both Anantpur district of Andhra Pradesh and Bellary in Karnataka.

Mr Janardhana and his brother in law Mr Sreenivas Reddy the managing director of Bellary Mining Corporation, were on Monday arrested by CBI for illegal mining by OMC. They have been remanded to judicial custody.

(Sourced from ET)

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