Bellary: Lokayukta Y. Bhaskar Rao has ordered the state government to take disciplinary action against 13 directors of the Department of Mines and Geology, including 9 IAS officers, who served between 1986 and 2010 for granting a lease to the Sri Kumarswamy Mineral Exports(SKME) Pvt. Ltd of Bellary.While his report mentions no names, the directors who served in this period include Mr Ponnappa, Mr Veerabhadrachari, Ms Malathi Das, Mr Ramana Reddy, Mr Madan Gopal, Mr Yogendra Tripati, Ravi Kumar, Dr M Basappa Reddy, Mr Gangaram Baderia, Mr K S Prabhakar, Mr Shivalingamurthy and Mr H R Srinivas. Lokayukta Rao has directed the government to cancel or reject the mining lease granted to SKME and initiate criminal proceedings against the company for violating provisions of the Forest (Conservation) Act and under the Indian Penal Code for extracting iron ore in areas not permitted, within three months. To make sure the government complies, he has demanded an action taken report within a month.
The Lokayukta investigated the matter on the complaint of Bellary resident Mr S Mohammed Tanveer, who in May 2010 alleged that SKME had been carrying out illegal mining since 1986 and extracted more than 1.5 crore tonnes of iron ore in the reserved forest area with the connivance of successive directors and secretaries of Commerce and Industries Department.
Speaking to DC, Mr Tanveer said he would soon approach Chief Minister Siddaramaiah seeking a CBI inquiry into the matter. "This case is similar to that of Deccan Mining Syndicate which the CBI investigated," he said.
