A P Minister offers to take Oppn to Obulapuram mines

Hyderabad, July 27 (UNI) Bowing to pressure from the Opposition, Andhra Pradesh Revenue Minister Dharmana Prasada Rao today offered to take the Opposition members from both Houses of the State Legislature to the controversial Obulapuram mines in Anantapur district.

Replying to allegations of the Opposition members, whose recent attempt to visit the mines was stopped by the police, the Minister said there was nothing fishy about the mines and the Opposition members were free to visit the place and find the facts.

The Obulapuram mines were sanctioned to Brahmani Steel Company for mining iron ore. The Opposition alleged that the iron ore mining was granted to favour Obulapuram Mining Company as the promotee G Janardhana Reddy was a close friend of Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy.

The Opposition even went to the extent of charging that the Chief Minister himself was the benami promoter of the steel factory and the mining company.

Earlier, making a statement in the House, Minister for Mines and Geology Sabita Indra Reddy denied any irregularities in the sanction of the mining lease.

She denied reports that a temple at the mining site was demolished by the present lessee. The previous lessee had not taken enough precautions while mining and the temple developed cracks and collapsed.

The new lessee had constructed a new temple with the consent of the locals, at a cost of Rs 40 lakh, she added.

She said an archaeological study proved that the collapsed temple was not constructed in 1888 and had no historical value, as was being propagated by some parties.

UNI