Karnataka told to halt mining in tiger zone
Union environment and forest minister Jairam Ramesh on Thursday said mining in parts of the Bandipur forest reserve in Karnataka will not be allowed.
Ramesh said he was unaware of the Karnataka government's decision to open up parts of the tiger reserve for mining, but a showcause notice may be issued to the state government if the report is true.
The minister, who has been getting representations on the matter from Karnataka MPs, including some from the BJP, said he would send a team of experts to the state to assess the truth.
" I have received a letter from Karnataka chief minister B. S. Yeddyurappa stating that he will not release any land or allow any mining in the state without the permission of our ministry. This has been in response to my letter stating that he cannot de- reserve any forest area without our prior permission," Ramesh said.
However, based on media reports and representations from the MPs, Ramesh said he would send a team within a week to the areas where mining is said to have been allowed.
" There is no question of allowing mining in forest areas.
If my team finds that the Karnataka government has done that, we will issue a showcause notice to the state and stop it ( the mining)," he said.
M AIL T ODAY had reported on February 28 that the state government had decided to dereserve the Bolegowdanakatte forest which was recently added to the Bandipur reserve.
In Shimoga district, too, the Jedikatte reserve near the Bhadra tiger reserve is to be opened up for mining. Four blocks in the sloth bear sanctuary in Bellary have also been marked for iron- ore mining.
Congress MP from Chamarajanagar N. Dhruvanarayan, who has been on the forefront of the MPs' protest, said: " We have brought the issue of allowing mining in the sensitive Western Ghats to the attention of the minister. We are opposed to the Karnataka government's decision." Ramesh also held a meeting of 43 MPs from six states where the Western Ghats are spread — Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa — to discuss means to preserve the biodiversity in the region.
He has set up a 14- member panel headed by Madhav Gadgil, former chairman of the Indian Institute of Science Centre for Ecological Sciences, to suggest ways to preserve the Western Ghat ecology.
Reproduced From Mail Today. Copyright 2010. MTNPL. All rights reserved.
