The Mandya district administration has cracked down on quarrying and revoked licenses of 11 units for not procuring environmental clearance from the authorities concerned.
The decision comes close on the heels of Mandya MP Sumalatha Ambareesh pleading for a high-level probe into illegal quarrying in the district besides raising her concern on the safety of KRS dam owing to mining.
At a meeting of the District Task Force (mining) convened on July 28, the authorities revoked the licences with effect from July 31. With respect to 7 crusher units in Babybetta Kavalu in Pandavpura taluk, the authorities cited the Karnataka Regulation of Stone Crusher Act 2011 as per which such units cannot be permitted to operate within 100 metres of the main road
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But as per the PWD Department and the technical committee which submitted a report the crusher units were within 100 metres of the district main road and hence the licences were revoked. The district administration said that it has invoked the relevant section of the law to revoke licences of 22 other crushing unit as well.
In a bid to monitor mining activities, a mobile squad has also been constituted and will operate in Pandavapura, Srirangapatna and Nagamangala taluks of Mandya district. The squad will comprise personnel drawn from revenue, forest, panchayat raj, police and department of mines and geology and it will not only monitor illegal quarrying but also transportation of material. The district administration has created 11 new checkposts across Mandya to keep an eye on illegal transportation of materials from quarries and mines.
The authorities have also identified a few areas in the district as “hot spots’’ of illegal mining and quarrying and this is based on the complaints being received from the public of the respective area. Hence these areas have been declared as sensitive and there will be extra vigil by the task force.
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The villages coming in for extra vigil include Ragimuddenahalli, Anekuppe, K.Honalagere, Shimsha river bank, Channanakere, Jakkanahalli, Kalenahalli, Gowdanahalli, Ganamguru, Hangarahalli, Mudagadore, Siddapura, Babbybettakavalu, Chinnakurali, Kamanayakanahalli, Shambunahalli, Narahalli, Sangahalli, Gangasamudra, Devarahosuru, Kanthapura, Akkihebbalu, the Hemavathi river bank and Agasanapura.
Meanwhile, the authorities also said that 12 police complaints cases have been registered apart from levying ₹33.73 lakh by way of fine for illegal transportation of mined materials from quarries.