Quarrying has been going on in the rocky hills spread over several villages of Hassan and Holenarasipur taluks, though the Department of Mines and Geology has not issued licences for quarrying in this stretch.
Labourers work from dawn to dusk, breaking rocks that are sold at Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 12,000 a load. Over the years, rocks worth several crores of rupees have been quarried without passing through any government checks.
This reporter, on Saturday, visited the villages of Malladevarapura, Shivayyana Koplu, Nyamanahalli, Kallenahalli and Hangarahalli and found people at work in the quarries. “Influential persons are conducting quarrying activities by keeping poor people as workers. We work throughout the day and get Rs. 2 or Rs. 3 per building stone,” said Murthy, one of the workers.
A tractor load (500 stones) of building stones costs Rs. 5,000 to 6,000. When the issue was brought to the notice of C. Hanumantha Reddy, senior geologist of Mines and Geology Department, the officer said that so far no licence had been issued for quarrying activities in the region.
“So far, the post of geologist was vacant. An officer has taken charge recently; I will send him to the spot to take further action,” he said.
Bonded labourersMany among the people working in the quarry are bonded labourers.
Chandru, one of the workers, said his family owed over Rs. 70,000 to one Mahesh, who runs quarrying activities. Chandru has been working in the quarry for several years to clear the loan. “I get Rs. 2 per building stone, which is sold at Rs. 10 to Rs. 12 by my employer. Mahesh deducts a portion of my salary as loan recovery,” he said.
The Hindu had reported on the agonies of bonded labourers working in quarries in August 2013. The local police recently served a notice to two bonded labourers of Malladevarapura in Hassan taluk, in connection with a news report asking them to appear for inquiry on the issue of bonded labour. However, no action has been taken to avert illegal quarrying for several years, though the issue is very well known to the police, officers of Revenue Department and the Mines and Geology Department.
Byrappa, district coordinator of Jeeta Vimukti Karnataka, speaking to The Hindu , expressed surprise over the police action. “Although illegal quarrying was reported widely in the media, nobody bothered to take action. Instead, the police exhibited eagerness to serve notices to poor workers, who spoke to the media about the bonded labour system,” he remarked.
