The Survey of India (SoI) has submitted its final report to the Supreme Court on the demarcation of the Karnataka-Andhra Pradesh boundary passing through Ballari reserve forest. It has used a forest map that dates back to 1896 as the basis.
The matter has been pending since 2010, and the Supreme Court had directed the SoI to submit its report by August 31.
Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC), owned by G. Janardhana Reddy, having a mining lease in Andhra Pradesh, has been accused of encroaching on forest area on the Karnataka side of the border, erasing the boundary markings.
An SoI team, led by the Surveyor General of India, along with officials from the governments of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, conducted a joint field survey and completed the process with the help of the Ballari reserve forest map of 1896. This notified map has the boundaries of taluks, revenue villages, and land parcels falling in the surrounding revenue villages of Malpanagudi, Hirehal, Siddapuram, Obulapuram (of Andhra Pradesh), and Halkundi, Vonnali, Belagal, Tumti and Vittalapuram of Karnataka, besides natural features such as hills, streams and cart roads. The officials identified the rock marks and the tri-junction and bi-junction points, and synced them with the Digital Global Positioning System.
Though a couple of attempts, based on Supreme Court directions, had been made to demarcate the borders earlier, they had not yielded any results. In July this year, the apex court expressed grave concern over the delay in demarcation and directed the SoI to take up the matter very seriously and complete the process by August 31.
Subsequently, before taking up the joint field survey, the SoI held deliberations and analysed all the submissions, records, observations and inputs provided by both State governments. It also decided not to consider the traverse map of 1887 given by Andhra Pradesh for determining the border.
Now, the final decision on border demarcation will have to be taken by the Supreme Court.