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State’s border moved into Andhra Pradesh

Bangalore: After the inter-State river water row, Karnataka has run into another problem with Andhra Pradesh — a border dispute adjoining the iron ore rich reserve forest area along the border in Bellary district.

The State Government’s contention is that some influential iron ore mine owners with the “connivance” of the personnel of the Forest and Police departments of the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh have marginally shifted the State border, obviously to encash on the rich iron ore deposits available on the Karnataka side of the border.

Despite repeated requests at various levels, the Government of Andhra Pradesh has refused to cooperate in demarcating the border between the two States, and hence the need for Union Government’s intervention.

Sources in the State Government told The Hindu that akin to rivers and rivulets which help in demarcating the borders between two States, the peaks of mountains and hill tops also serve to demarcate boundaries.

What has happened in parts of Bellary district is that the hill tops have been demolished resulting in the confusion. The State Government constituted a task force to conduct a joint survey with his counterpart from Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh.

The joint survey was to be conducted on Friday and when the Karnataka team approached the border, the forest and police personnel were heckled and jostled and forced to beat a retreat.

The officials concerned have since filed an FIR at Tornagal police station (Bellary district) against two officials of a well-known mining company. Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy told this correspondent that he would take up the matter with the Union Ministers concerned and seek an early solution to the border dispute.

“It is all about the rich iron ore deposits on that piece of land. Apart from this, our rich forest cover in Bellary region has been encroached upon. It is not merely a case of encroaching into our territory, but also indulging in iron ore mining in a reserve forest area”.

Principal Chief Conservator of Forests A.K. Varma on Monday wrote to the Director-General of Forests of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests seeking a demarcation of the border. He recalled an order of the Karnataka High Court of March 1981 wherein the Secretary, Mines and Geology of Karnataka and the Secretary, Revenue of Andhra Pradesh, had been directed to demarcate the boundary and that all activities in the disputed area should be stopped until the exercise was completed.

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