Four special courts will be established in Bellary, Chitradurga and Tumkur districts to try cases related to illegal mining, according to Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T.B. Jayachandra.
Speaking to presspersons here on Sunday, Mr. Jayachandra said that two special courts in Bellary and one each in Tumkur and Chitradurga will try illegal mining cases and cases against those who have caused loss to the Exchequer. On dropping Minister Santosh Lad, Mr. Jayachandra said that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is examining documents related to illegal mining submitted by Samaj Parivartan Samudaya president S.R. Hiremath.
He said that there is no question of protecting anybody who has indulged in illegal mining and the government will take action against such people.
He asked the Bharatiya Janata Party leaders why they are taking out rallies now when they had every chance to take action on the report on illegal mining when they were in power.
Disease in cattle
Mr. Jayachandra, who also holds the Animal Husbandry portfolio, said that 5,200 head of cattle had died of foot-and-mouth disease. A majority of them were calves which had not been vaccinated. He said that 34,936 animals, in 3,708 villages, were afflicted.
He said that the outbreak occurred before the government could start vaccination, which is done twice a year — in February-March and June-July.
He said that few cattle in Mandya, Kolar, Ramanagaram and Chamarajanagar districts had been vaccinated. He said that Rs. 5 crore had been kept aside for giving compensation to farmers whose cattle died of foot-and-mouth disease.
He said that Rs. 25,000 will be given to milch cow or buffalo that has died of the disease.
