THE HON'BLE SRI JUSTICE L.NARASIMHA REDDY WRIT PETITION No.6619 of 2010 ORDER: The petitioner is the Sarpanch of Marlapadu Grampanchayat, Tangutoor Mandal, Prakasam District. He stated that the Village is facing acute drinking water problem and to overcome that, it has been proposed to draw water from nearby branch canal of Nagarjunasagar project and fill the village tank through a feeder channel. The funds are also said to have been sanctioned for that. The proposed channel runs through the land in Survey Nos.388 and 418 of the Village. A mining lease is said to have been granted in favour of A.P. Mineral Development Corporation, respondent No.2 herein, in respect of that land by the Mines and Geology Department. The petitioner submitted a representation on 19.09.2009 to the respondents with request to accord permission for digging of channel across the land. The grievance of the petitioner is that no action has been taken thereon. Heard the learned counsel for the petitioner and the learned Government Pleader for Mines and Geology. The request made by the petitioner is very limited in its purport. Permission is sought to dig a water channel across the land to take the water from an irrigation channel to the village tank. Strictly speaking, the permission ought to have been granted just for asking of it, since the channel does not in any way hamper mining activity. Matters of that nature ought not to have been waited for such a long time. Hence, the writ petition is disposed of, directing that respondent No.2 shall give reply to the petitioner within a period of ten days from the date of receipt of a copy of this order. If no reply is given, it shall be open to the Gram Panchayat to dig the channel in such a way that it does not interfere with the mining activity undertaken by respondent No.2. There shall be no order as to costs. _______________________ L.NARASIMHA REDDY,J Dt:25.03.2010. Note: Issue cc in two days. (B/o) kdl