Andhra Pradesh High Court: A fact-finding committee will look into illicit mining

The Andhra Pradesh High Court ordered the Mines Department to send a team to Veeranayakunipalle in the Chebrolu mandal of the Guntur district on Wednesday. The team’s mission was to conduct a survey to find out the truth about the suspected unlawful 60 acres of gravel quarrying and to provide a comprehensive report. The court said that a judicial team would be assigned to gather information if a fraudulent report was filed. After three weeks, the matter was posted.

Chief Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur and Justice R Raghunandan Rao’s division bench heard the PIL that the village’s M Prabhu Dasa filed.

The government attorney claimed that the issue concerned gravel mining, not sand mining, when the bench brought up the NGT’s serious consideration of unlawful mining.

Nonetheless, the court questioned, “If the company in question was not engaged in illegal quarrying, why would NGT impose a penalty of Rs1,800 crore on it?” The corporation has filed an appeal with the Supreme Court, according to the government’s pleader, and the punishment was Rs 100 crore.

The court was notified that quarrying on patta lands was authorized. “Permission was granted for 2.86 acres, but quarrying was being carried out in 60 acres,” the petitioner’s attorney said.