Srikakulam, January 7 – Under the YSRCP government, thousands of mining lease applications remain pending, but the authorities fast-tracked the granite lease application of Ponnavolu Sudhakar Reddy’s son, Karthik Reddy, in Srikakulam district. Karthik applied for a 4.920-hectare granite lease in Sontinuru, Nandigama mandal, in April 2021, and within 39 days, the lease was recommended for approval. The process moved quickly through all levels of the Mines Department, and the lease was granted for 20 years.
In contrast, over 600 pending granite lease applications in areas like Tekkalipeta were ignored after the YSRCP came to power. Despite these pending applications, Karthik Reddy received swift approval within 11 months. The process also extended to Madanapalle, where Karthik’s lease was fast-tracked, bypassing earlier applicants. Even though Shahnawaz Reshma Nawaz had applied for the same 2 hectares, Karthik was granted the lease without following standard procedures, disregarding legal challenges from earlier applicants.
