THE HON’BLE SRI JUSTICE NOOTY RAMAMOHANA RAO WRIT PETITION No. 21975 OF 2011 O R D E R : This Writ Petition has been filed complaining that the application filed by the writ petitioner for quarry lease over an extent of 8 hectares of land situate in Survey No. 371 at Kothagattu Village, Shankarapatnam Mandal, Karimnagar District, for the purpose of extraction of colour granite for a period of 20 years, has not been processed so far, notwithstanding the policy decision announced by the State Government through their G.O.Ms.No. 181 Industries and Commerce (Mines-I) Department, dated 28.05.1998. It is the case of the writ petitioner that it has submitted an application in Form-P to the Assistant Director of Mines and Geology, Karimnagar on 01.10.2010 seeking grant of quarry lease over an extent of 8 hectares of land situate in Survey No. 371 of Kothagattu Village, Shankarapatnam Mandal, Karimnagar District. It is also its case that the Mandal Revenue Officer, Shankarapatnam has granted ‘No Objection Certificate’ with reference to the said land on 17.01.2011 and in spite of the same, no orders are passed on its application. When the matter appeared on 04.08.2011, the learned Government Pleader for Mines and Geology has taken time to secure instructions in the matter. He submits today, upon receipt of instructions, that the Mandal Revenue Officer, Shankarapatnam Mandal, through his letter dated 17.01.2011 has reported that the land in Survey No. 371 of an extent of Ac.76.28 has been classified as ‘government land’ and that there are no temples or houses surrounding the proposed land and that in principle, there may not be any objection for grant of quarry lease in the poramboke land in the said survey number. However, it is now pointed out by the Assistant Director of Mines and Geology, in his written instructions to the learned Government Pleader, that the applicant has not attended for survey and inspection for processing its quarry lease application. This statement of fact has been stoutly disputed by the learned counsel appearing for the writ petitioner. The learned counsel for the writ petitioner is right in pointing out that so far, the Assistant Director of Mines and Geology or the Tahsildar, Shankarapatnam has not put the writ petitioner on notice requiring it to attend to the survey and demarcation exercise. In the absence of any such information, the question of the applicant failing to turn up for the said survey and demarcation exercise, would not arise. I cannot, but agree with the learned counsel for the petitioner in his submission in this regard. If only the Assistant Director of Mines and Geology has fixed an appropriate date for survey/inspection of the site over which the quarry lease application is filed, the petitioner would have surely participated in such an exercise. Therefore, the Assistant Director of Mines and Geology, Karimnagar is directed to fix a date for inspection/survey of the land over which the quarry lease application has been submitted and finalize his report and intimate the entire fact situation to the Collector, Karimnagar, so that the Collector, Karimnagar, if he chooses, can file an appropriate report before the Director of Mines and Geology. Let this exercise be completed by the Assistant Director of Mines and Geology within 30 days from today. Within 30 days from the date of receipt of the intimation from the Assistant Director of Mines and Geology, the Collector, Karimnagar, if he so chooses, may file his report before the Director of Mines and Geology. Thereafter, within a maximum period of 30 days, the Director of Mines and Geology may take an appropriate decision in accordance with law on the application submitted by the writ petitioner for grant of quarry lease for colour granite mineral and intimate the same to the petitioner. With this, the Writ Petition stands disposed of. No costs. ---------------------------------------------- (NOOTY RAMAMOHANA RAO, J) 10th August 2011 ksld