The Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC), headed by P.V. Jayakrishna, went round some of the mining areas in Hosapete and Sandur taluks on Saturday.
The visit was in the wake of the direction by the Supreme Court to make an on-the-spot study of the proposals put forth by the Karnataka Mining Environment Restoration Committee (KMERC), which acts as a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for implementing the Comprehensive Environment Plan for Mining Impact Zone (CEPMIZ).
The CEC, accompanied by Sashikant Senthil, Director Mines and Geology, and other senior officials, visited the areas where conveyor belt system, new rail lines, railway sidings, and sub-lines were proposed to be installed for movement of iron ore from the mines pit to the stockyard/end user as per the CEPMIZ.
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As per the directions of the Supreme Court, the CEPMIZ had been prepared to mitigate the sufferings of the people in the areas ravaged by mining in Ballari, Chitradurga, and Tumakuru districts. Apart from building the infrastructure for movement of iron ore through conveyor belts and rail lines (to avoid pollution caused by transportation of ore through roads) several socio-economic measures had also to be taken up. For the funds required, the Supreme Court had ordered earmarking of 10% of the sales proceeds of ore sold through e-auction. A major share of building the infrastructure facilities had to be borne by the mining lessees and end users, while the socio-economic measures had to be implemented through KMERC.
The Supreme Court had said that building of infrastructure facilities had to be done on top priority if the socio-economic measures proposed, to improve the quality of life, had to be meaningful and fruitful.