Keeping all environmental responsibilities aside, the Congress Government in Karnataka has allowed quarrying within 100 meters of forest area across the State. The Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday relaxed the quarrying rules.
The decision not only legalised stone quarrying which is controlled by powerful politicians but also would severely damage ecologically sensitive forest areas in Karnataka.
Briefing the media after the Cabinet meeting, law Minister TB Jayachandra said the Cabinet had taken a decision to allow stone quarrying within 100 meters in the forest across the State.
Jayachandra said different interpretation of a 2006 Government order by the Forest and Mines, and Geology departments and certain provisions of the Karnataka Forest Act was sought to be resolved. He said, “The ban applies to grant of Government land, and not stone quarrying.” He stressed, “No question of buffer zone”. Because of the non-quarrying in such land, a large number of crushing units had shut down, he said. From around 3,000 such operating units, the number has come down to the region of 300-400. A case is pending before the High Court and the Government would convey its position to it accordingly.
According to sources in the Forest department, the decision would legalise all illegal quarrying in the State. The source also confirmed that there were more than 143 cases of illegal stone quarrying in Kanakapura taluk in Ramanagara district and more than 90 per cent of the quarrying would be legalised destroying the flora and fauna of the forest.
The environmentalists and activists are worried about the impact of this decision on the sensitive ecological zones. Commenting on the decision, Praveen Bhargava of the Wild life First has said the order suffers from legal infirmity. Talking to The Pioneer he said, “This is a shocking decision. This is shocking when particularly several legal restrictions and landmark court orders prohibited quarrying in the vicinity of forest. Therefore, the decision may suffer from legal infirmities.”
According to information available, the stone quarrying has become the major contributor to the man-animal conflict cutting of several elephant corridors in the State, especially in Bangalore rural district where Bannerghatta national park has its existence just 20 km away from Bangalore.
A senior Congress leader said on the condition of anonymity that the decision was taken to allow quarrying to satisfy some of the disgruntled and powerful Congress leaders. He said, “It is very clear that it is done to please some vested interests the party.”
CBI to probe mining scam
In another significant move, the Congress Government in Karnataka has decided to hand over illegal mining scam to a special investigation team, CBI and Enforcement Directorate.
The Cabinet took the decision to hand over the probe into the mega mining scam, which was based on the report submitted by then lokayukta Justice N Santosh Hegde.
The Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, gave the green signal for investigation by the CBI into illegal export of iron ore from seven ports in Karnataka and neighbouring States.
Noting that the reports on illegal mining by the then lokayukta had raised many issues pertaining to the scam, law Minister TB Jayachandra said that an SIT would be constituted. The issues to be probed include evasion of royalty to the Government and Forest development tax.
He said the Cabinet has decided to hand over such cases in order to investigate cases relating to investment made from the wealth of illegal mining. Jayachandra also said a special court would be established for cases on illegal mining.
Hegde’s final report submitted in July 2011 estimated the loss of revenue to the State exchequer due to illegal mining in the State between 2006 and 2010 at more than Rs 16,000 crore. The report had also named 797 officials.