KTR Alleges Irregularities In Suryapet Mining E-Auction

BRS working president K T Rama Rao today alleged serious irregularities, procedural lapses and legal violations in the mining e-auction conducted in Suryapet district.

In a letter addressed to Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, KTR demanded an immediate independent inquiry and the cancellation of the "controversial" tenders.

Referring to Notification No 2263906/DM&G MI/LST/2023 dated August 30, 2024, KTR cited multiple deficiencies in the tender process, and criticised the mines and geology department for conducting the e-auction in a manner that "undermined" transparency.

"Nearly 1,100 acres of reserved forest land fall within the Pasupulabodu, Saidulnama and Sultanpur mining blocks. However, the tender documents allegedly failed to disclose mandatory technical details including precise latitude and longitude coordinates, DGPS survey validation, forest compartment data, detailed survey maps and UTM geo-coordinates," he said.

The BRS leader also alleged that comprehensive geological reports required under the Mineral Auction Rules, 2015, and the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, were not furnished, rendering the process legally questionable.

He expressed concern that authorities proceeded with the auction despite pending legal scrutiny and allegedly failed to comply with directions issued by the Telangana High Court in WP (PIL) No 21 of 2024. He also questioned the announcement of preferred bidders before the completion of the environmental and statutory clearances.

Raising doubts over the selection of Deccan Cements Limited and NCL Industries Limited, KTR alleged that the firms were facing cases related to illegal mining in reserved forest areas.

He also alleged that the auction was conducted without obtaining the mandatory No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the forest department, and said that such actions could harm the environment and erode public trust.

KTR demanded the immediate suspension of all proceedings under the notification, cancellation of the tender, and a time-bound independent probe. He urged the government to issue fresh tenders only after completing scientific surveys and securing all the statutory clearances in a transparent manner.