New Delhi: Ninety percent mining in
Bellary district of Karnataka is illegal which has converted
the area of green scenic into a war ravaged zone with huge
ugly scars, says the Supreme Court-appointed committee.
Placing its report before the apex court, the expert
body said a majority of companies are involved in illegal
mining and recommended the state governemnt be directed to
cancel their lease.
"It is estimated that the production of mines which
are not found to be involved in substantial illegalities and
which are eligible to continue mining operations may not be
more than 10 percent of the total production of the iron ore
in the district," the panel said in its 23-page report.
There are 148 iron ore mining leases sanctioned in
Bellary district, out of which 124 now exist and it is
estimated that about 90 percent of the production is from the
forest area.
"The situation at present is alarming and calls for
immediate radical remedial measures," senior advocate Shyam
Diwan, appearing for the panel, said.
"As a result of mining and associated activities, what
was once an area of green scenic undulating hilly terrain,
today many areas present a barren dismal picture akin to a
war-ravaged zone with huge ugly scars," he said adding a
"majority of mines are involved in illegal mining outside the
sanctioned lease area".
"In large number of cases, the permission for increasing
the production of iron ore manifold has been granted
recklessly without apparently taking into consideration the
already alarming situation in the area," the report said.
PTI
