Unhappy with the Andhra Pradesh government’s efforts to curb illegal mining of limestone in Guntur district, the Hyderabad High Court on Wednesday took suo motu action against the Comptroller and Auditor General, the CBI and the Union mining department based on a Public Interest Litigation(PIL) petition filed with the court.

The Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Thottathil B. Radhakrishnan and Justice V. Ramasubramanian after hearing the petition directed that notices also be sent to MLA Y. Srinivasa Rao of Gurazala, who was among the nine respondents.

The Bench said the Central Department of Mines, the CAG and the CBI should get instructions on how to further proceed with regard to the illegal excavation of limestone, which resulted in huge loss to the state exchequer. The court has also directed the Andhra Pradesh government to submit a report on the progress of the ongoing investigation into the matter.

The PIL was filed two years ago by TGV Krishna Reddy. The petitioner alleged that the government remained a mute spectator while some persons with political connections were excavating limestone illegally in Guntur district.

The Bench had also reached out to the AP Mining Department to give a detailed report on what steps and actions were initiated to stop the illegal mining activity.

The government counsel told the bench that only three FIRs were filed against with respect to the illegal mining so far. Unhappy with the response, the Chief Justice pointed out that a government report stated that nearly 12 lakh tonnes of limestone were illegally mined. After reading out the details of the report, the Chief Justice asked the government counsel, “Where were your officers? Where has the investigation reached since illegal mining was going on for years together? Is it not a clear case of corruption?” reported The Hindu.