A. LAKSHMANA RAO, J.

( 1 ) THE petitioners in all these writ petitions are contractors who have undertaken to execute works of civil nature entrusted to them by the Singareni Collieries company Limited (hereinafter referred to as the respondent company )- The execution of the work is governed by he terms and conditions incorporated in a written agreement entered into by the respondent company with each one of the contractors. It is stated that till the year 1983 the respondent company was holding lease hold rights for the excavation of minor minerals such as building stone, lime-kankar, sand etc. , from specified quarries. The contractors have been using the minor minerals excavated from the quarries in respect of which, lease-hold rights have been granted in favour of the respondent company by the mines Department under the Andhra Pradesh Minor Mineral Concession rules, 1966, in the execution of the works entrusted to them. As regards the payment of seigniorage fee on the minor minerals excavated by the contractors, a specific clause in the form of Clause (8) had been incorporated in the agreement entered into by the respondent company with the contractors. Clause. 8: For metal, u

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