SC clamps mining ban on Bellary

New Delhi, July 29: The Supreme Court today suspended with immediate effect all mining operations in an area of over 10,000 hectares in Karnataka's Bellary, a day after a Lokayukta report claimed the scalp of chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa.

An apex

court green bench, headed by the Chief Justice of India, cited extensive damage to the environment because of "over-exploitation" of mineral resources to justify the ban.

The Lokayukta report has indicted Yeddyurappa, the Reddy brothers ' Janardhan and Karunakara Reddy, who are state ministers ' and health minister B. Sriramulu for involvement in illegal mining in Bellary.

The court had appointed a panel of experts to file a report on mining activities in Bellary district. The environmental degradation in the area was shocking, the court said after receiving the report from the panel. The bench said the state should bear the cost of restoring the area."The greed of a few is making everyone suffer," it said.

"In continuation of our earlier orders, dated 29th April, 2011, and 6th May, 2011, we are of the view that mining operations and transportation in an area measuring approximately 10,868 hectares in Bellary district be immediately suspended till further orders," the bench said.

"On account of over-exploitation, considerable damage has been done to the environment. We are taking a holistic view of the matter. We have suspended these operations, keeping in mind the precautionary principle which is the essence of Article 21 (right to life and liberty) of the Constitution."

The top court then adjourned the case for a week.

It directed the environment ministry to submit a report in the meantime indicating the requirement of iron ore for the steel industry in the country. The ministry would also have to estimate how much of that requirement is met by the Bellary mines. The apex court also asked the ministry to get information from the ministries of mines, steel and commerce on what quantity of the ore is exported.

The bench, which was dealing with 98 licences allotted in forest areas of Bellary, has told the court panel to prepare in three weeks an assessment on the environment impact in Tumkur and Chitradurga districts because of mining.

Of these 98 licences, around 40 have been cancelled earlier on the basis of PILs filed by an NGO, Samaj Parivartan Samudaya.

The bench asked the Karnataka government to prepare a rehabilitation scheme for restoration of the forests, create separate fund for this and to recover the costs from the erring mining companies.

It also asked the state government to fix royalty on the export of iron ore on the basis of international rates, an apparent reference to the under-valuation of the resource.

Dubbing it the republic of Bellary, former Supreme Court judge Santosh Hegde, said that there was a single window corruption system in the district. The district is represented by Somasekhara Reddy in the Assembly. His other two brothers are ministers in the cabinet.

Janardhan Reddy is the tourism, culture and infrastructure minister and G. Karunakara Reddy, revenue minister.

The Lokayukta had discounted claims by the Reddy brothers that they were mining in neighbouring Andhra through their Obulapuram Mining Company, saying there were doing illegal mining in adjoining Bellary as well.

Hegde had blamed the illegal mining for much of the misery of the people there and placed the losses to the exchequer at around Rs 16,085 crore during 2006 to 2010.

After the state government failed to take corrective measures on his interim report of December 2008, Hegde, had reposed faith that the top court would take action regarding illegal mining in the area.

After his report, the CM was forced to quit under political pressure. But the Reddy brothers are yet to follow suit.

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