TIRUPATI: Former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu drew the attention of state chief secretary KS Jawahar Reddy and asked the latter to take measures to curb illegal granite quarrying and transportation from Kuppam assembly constituency in Chittoor district to the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu.
"It has been reported that granite smuggling mafia from Kuppam assembly constituency in Andhra Pradesh, has been illegally quarrying and smuggling granite blocks to Tamil Nadu viz Krishnagiri and Vellore districts", the Kuppam legislator alleged in his letter addressed to the CS.
Naidu pointed out that the illegal quarrying is primarily taking place in Santhipuram and Kuppam mandals and illegally quarried granite blocks were transported during the dark hours through Nadimur, ON Kothur and Motla Chenu along the AP to Varatanapalli, AP to Veppanapalli and AP to Pachoor routes.
The former Chief minister alleged that it was widely believed that the people from both Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu were were involved with the political people from Andhra Pradesh and urged the Chief secretary to immediately curb the granite smuggling by the mafia to Tamil Nadu and prevent the loss of revenue to the people of Andhra Pradesh.
