NEW DELHI: Former Karnataka minister and mining baron G Janardhana Reddy owned company adopted dubious means and inflated the figure of iron ore extraction in order to make illegal production of their other mines legal, says a report submitted by an expert committee in the Supreme Court.The report of the apex court-appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC) noted that Janardhana Reddy’s AMC (Associated Mining Company) had illegally done mining operation during 1996-2000 in which its lease had expired and there were irregularities in its renewal.The CEC said even the renewal of the lease, which was done in the year 2003 and retrospectively applied from 2000, was illegal.To gain full control of the AMC, Reddy adopted dubious means, CEC said in the report which is based on the findings of the Joint team, constituted in pursuance of May 6, 2011 order of the apex court for carrying out survey work and demarcation of 99 mining leases in Bellary, Chitradurga and Tumkur.“The said mining lease (of AMC) was effectively transferred to Janardhana Reddy, the then tourism minister and Minister-In-charge of District Bellary and G Lakshmi Aruna with effect from August 1, 2009.This, it appears, was done by adopting dubious means to get themselves admitted as new partners and ensuring the retirement of all the existing partners on the firm,” the report said.GOVERNOR WELCOMES SC ORDERBANGALORE: Karnataka Governor H R Bhardwaj today, welcomed the Supreme Court order favouring a CBI probe into the linkage between mining activities in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, allegedly involving the Reddy brothers.Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a function, he said “It becomes easier for us to get it (illegal mining) investigated to the logical conclusion in Karnataka also.We are eagerly awaiting to cover all areas (where illegal mining has taken place) including Karnataka,” Bhardwaj said.He said, former Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hedge had reported to him about the illegal mining activities in Karnataka and said that such activities had extended to the border of Andhra Pradesh.To a query on former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa’s claim that the Reddy brothers were not involved in illegal mining, Bhardwaj said when he came to know that the ministers were indulging in such activities, he had recommended to Yeddyurappa to remove them.“But instead of doing so, he went contrary to that and the result of that is he himself is facing the heat now in the courts,” he said.
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