Minister for Industries and Mines K.T. Rama Rao has ordered suspension of Assistant Director of Mines Krishna Pratap and another official for their failure in stopping illegal sand mining by a contractor in Gudibanda reach in Mahabubnagar district.
He also ordered cancellation of the sand mining licence issued for the Gudibanda reach and directed the Mining Department authorities to go on field visits to supervise sand mining activity once a week to detect violations and irregularities.
He asked the authorities to appoint others in the two positions immediately with a mandate to check illegal sand mining.
Further, the Minister directed the officials to initiate action against the contractor by registering a case and impose penalty for mining sand in a large extent illegally.
Mr. Rama Rao ordered for action against the Assistant Director and Royalty Inspector Ravi Kumar following an inquiry by a committee comprising Managing Director of Telangana State Mining Development Corporation Illambarthi and Director of Mines and Geology B.R.V. Susheel Kumar which found that a contractor had mined sand to an extent of about 60,000 cubic meters illegally against the permission for only 1,950 cubic meters in a patta land at Gudibanda.
Stating that mining wealth was a national asset and revenue from it should only reach people, the Minister said in a statement on Thursday that there would be no compromise in taking action against contractors resorting to illegal mining and the officials helping them in any way.
