The Supreme Court has made it clear to the Survey of India (SoI) that the time granted by it for demarcation of the Inter-State Boundary (ISB) between Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh would not be extended beyond August 31.
The order was passed on Friday by a Division Bench comprising Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice Deepak Gupta, after being informed that SoI had held a meeting on July 23 in which it was decided to carry out a joint field exercise from August 1 by a team comprising representatives of SoI, and officials concerned from Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
The Supreme Court was also informed that the SoI will plot the traverse field records given by Andhra Pradesh and give its report in the next meeting to be held on August 10 or 11.
Following the Supreme Court directions, officials of SoI, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh started the process of demarcating the ISB passing through the Ballari Reserve Forest on May 29.
The demarcation of the boundary has been pending for long. Though efforts were made on a couple of occasions earlier, that too on the directions of the Supreme Court, the demarcation could not be done for reasons best known to officials concerned.
For want of demarcation of the ISB, a survey of mining lease boundary of a few mines at Tumti and Vittalapuram areas in Sandur taluk of Ballari district, attached to the ISB, have been kept pending. TNR Mines, owned by Tapal Ganesh and brothers, is among them. Recently, Mr. Ganesh and his brothers filed an interlocutory application before the Supreme Court seeking an order for early demarcation of the ISB so that they could claim the sales proceeds of the ore sold from their stockyard, besides taking up the process of renewing the lease agreement and getting clearances.
Mr. Ganesh told The Hindu that he wanted the State government to make best use of the opportunity to putforth its claim and get the ISB settled.
“Owing to the delay in settling the ISB, Karnataka has been severely affected as its land has been encroached upon by Obalapuram Mining Company, owned by former Minister G. Janardhana Reddy, who is also accused of destroying the tri-junction point between Tumti, Vittalpur and Malapanagudi and plundering natural mineral resources, worth crores of rupees, belonging to the State,” he said.
