As a part of its investigation into the alleged illegal mining activities of Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC) in the Bellary Reserve Forest area, the CBI has questioned a senior IAS officer here.
A CBI team yesterday questioned, Mr Y Srilakshmi, Commissioner (Health), as the agency found irregularities in certain leases given to OMC (owned by Karnataka Tourism Minister, Mr Gali Janardhan Reddy), between 2005 and 2009, when she was the secretary of Andhra Pradesh’s industries department, CBI sources said on Saturday.
OMC is accused of changing mining lease boundary markings between Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, and indulging in illegal mining in the Bellary Reserve Forest area, spread between Bellary district of Karnataka and Anantpur district of Andhra Pradesh.
“A CBI team questioned the IAS officer as to whether (standard) procedures were followed or not while according mining leases to the OMC,” a senior CBI officer said, declining to give further details.
The CBI team started the probe into the alleged illegal mining activities last month, and has visited the mining areas leased to OMC.