Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Monday asked the government for its stand on a petition which requested that GO 3 of the industries and commerce (mines-I) department, 08.01.2015, and other two others issued in connection with sand mining policy be declared ultra vires. The plea said they were against the Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas (Pesa) Act.
The division bench headed by Chief Justice Alok Aradhe heard the petition filed by Bhukya Deva Naik from Kothagudem district. The petitioner said that under the Pesa Act, sand mining leases in scheduled areas shall be allotted to the individuals or societies belonging to the Scheduled Tribes communities. The three GOs did not mentioned this.
He said the government had earned more than Rs. 5,000 crore by selling sand extracted from the scheduled area but none of if had been allotted to the gram panchayats and villages in the scheduled areas.
