Ballari MP Tukaram seeks Centre’s intervention to settle Karnataka-Andhra boundary dispute

You don’t have any Active Subscription.

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription

Ballari MP E. Tukaram during a meeting in Ballari. File photo. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Ballari Lok Sabha member E. Tukaram has sought the Centre’s intervention to ensure an impartial examination and determination of the inter-State boundary between Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh in the Ballari region, particularly regarding an area of about 68.5 hectares under a lease held by Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC).

In identical letters dated September 23 to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Inter-State Council Secretariat Secretary Ashish Srivastava, Mr. Tukaram sought the intervention of a competent Central authority or agency to examine the boundary issue in coordination with the Governments of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh and the Survey of India.

The MP said the 68.5-hectare area covered by OMC Lease-6 was shown on a Survey of India toposheet and adjoined mining leases 1 to 5 around boundary pillars 62 to 67. He said the issue involved historical survey records, village boundaries, traverse data and the identification of the inter-State boundary in relation to mining leases and alleged irregularities in the extraction and transportation of iron ore.

According to Mr. Tukaram, OMC Lease-6 records indicate an area of approximately 68.5 hectares, while the traverse data used in preparing the boundaries of mining leases 1 to 5 adopted a new internal survey boundary. He said the village boundaries shown or prepared by the Andhra Pradesh Survey Department did not correspond to the boundary position reflected in historical records.

He sought examination of the historical survey records, including O.S. No. 387/1965 and the Ballari Reserve Forest Map of 1896, along with the original records and certified copies of the relevant survey documents.

Mr. Tukaram also called for reconciliation of the 1896 Ballari Reserve Forest Map, the 1990 geographical contour guidelines and the present survey records. He said the 1990 guidelines had been accepted by both States and that the traverse data used for mining leases 1 to 5 and the presently adopted inter-State boundary for the 68.5-hectare area needed to be reconciled.

He specifically pointed to boundary pillars 62 to 67, saying their precise location was significant to the dispute. He noted that there were different claims concerning the pillars, the historical boundary and present survey records. He suggested that the competent authorities fix the location of the pillars with reference to original records and survey sketches and consider a modern survey or joint Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) survey to prepare an authenticated boundary map.

The MP also referred to allegations of extraction and transportation of iron ore from the Sandur-Ballari cluster by extending into the area in question. He alleged that public resources were being extracted by some companies and forest land encroached upon beyond the legally demarcated lease area at the inter-State boundary without the requisite authority, resulting in loss to the public exchequer.

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.