20 mines in Bellary start work after R&R implementation

February 04, 2014 11:25 am | Updated November 16, 2021 11:47 pm IST - BELLARY:

Geo-textile work being done on the slope of dump to develop a green belt at one of the mines in Bellary district. File Photo

Geo-textile work being done on the slope of dump to develop a green belt at one of the mines in Bellary district. File Photo

The implementation of the Reclamation and Rehabilitation (R&R) plan for the mining areas are under various stages in Bellary district.

According to the present status of the implementation, of the total 115 mining leases in forest areas, the R&R plan has been prepared for 72 mining firms by the Indian Council for Forestry Research and Education, and are under various stages of implementation.

Official sources in the Forest Department told The Hindu that as per the R&R plan, the works of erecting boundary pillars, dump stabilisation, terrace work around the dump, retaining wall around the dump, geo-textile implementation at slope of dump to develop green belt, plantation along the lease boundary, construction of settling tank, check dams and gully checks, garland drain around the dump, among other things had to be executed.

Enquires revealed that over 20 mining companies, after successfully implementing the R&R plan and obtaining all the statutory clearances, have started the extraction of ore while the rest, which have executed the plan are yet to start functioning for want of statutory clearances, including the Forest Department’s clearance.

It may be mentioned here that the Supreme Court, in a writ petition filed by Samaj Parivarthan Samudaya of Dharwad, against illegal mining had imposed a total ban on mining activities in Bellary, Chitradurga and Tumkur districts in July 2011.

After that the economy of the district took a down turn, severely affected the people dependant on mining, including those in the service sector (transport, earthmovers, financial institutions, mechanics and welders). The steel industry was also hard hit due to non-availability of iron ore, the basic raw material.

Later, the Supreme Court gave its approval to resume mining activities only after implementing the R&R plan and also obtaining the statutory clearances. In addition, the apex court also imposed a cap on the total annual production limiting it to 30 million tonnes.

Successful

The e-auction and e-permits among other things, introduced to prevent illegal transportation of ore, has been successful in achieving the purpose. “Unlike in the past, when illegal mining/transportation was at its hilt, especially in Bellary district, the issuing of e-permits, and the Forest Department introducing forest produce tracking system, there has been no scope for illegal transportation of iron ore. The department can keep a constant 24 x 7 tab on the movement of iron ore and also on the quantum transported. During the present financial year, as against the e-permits for 17 million tonnes issued, 15 million tonnes had already been transported. In addition, the collection of Forest Development Tax and Royalty has been proper and regular,” a senior official of the Forest Department told The Hindu .

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.