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TDP govt cancels barytes mining lease
In a major decision which could stir a political controversy the Andhra Pradesh State cabinet has scrapped the mining leases of barytes deposits in Mangamepta in Kadapa district.
- Decision may stir hornet’s nest
- TDP regime believes the deposits in Mangamepta in Kadapa district are run by the relatives of late Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy
Hyderabad: In a major decision which could stir a political controversy the Andhra Pradesh State cabinet has scrapped the mining leases of barytes deposits in Mangamepta in Kadapa district. It has also referred a decade of mining activity at the site, to the cabinet sub-committee on corruption, to inquire into the alleged irregularities.
Speaking to media, after six-and-half-hours of Cabinet meeting held here on Tuesday, the State Information and Public Relations Minister P Raghunatha Reddy said the Cabinet had decided to scrap the GO number 296 which was issued in 2004, stipulating not to increase the lease amount more than a five per cent annually. This had resulted in heavy loss to the government exchequer to the tune of crores of rupees in last ten years, he said.
He said the total barytes deposits at Mangampeta were estimated to be of fifty million tones and worth of nearly Rs 50,000 crore. Mangampeta has 28 per cent of total barytes deposits in the world and nearly 95 per cent deposits in the country. Locally a tone of barytes has been pegged at Rs 4,475, but the same has been sold at the rate of Rs 9,112 in Chennai. This way, the State had lost crores of rupees and the government wanted to put an end to this loot of public wealth, he said.
Following the scrapping of the earlier GO, now the government has also decided to inquire into the irregularities that took place during the last ten years, from the time the mining lease was given, and the Cabinet sub-committee on corruption which was appointed earlier by the government would submit its report to the government to take necessary action, the Minister said.
From now onwards, it was decided to give barytes leases by way of a Global Floating Tender to bring transparency in the mining activity and to maximise the revenues to the State. It was also decided to auction nearly 45,000 tones of barytes waste available at the site soon, Raghunatha Reddy added.
Earlier, lease of barytes mining at the site was given in 2004 during the Y S Rajasekhhara Reddy regime in the United Andhra Pradesh.
