'KIOCL issue to be taken up within 6 months'

Dharmastala, Karnataka, May 28 : Union Minister of State for Mines and Geology T Subbarami Reddy today said the issue of Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Ltd (KIOCL) will be taken up within the next six months.

''However, there will be no compromise on environmental issues.

Environment is more important than the issue of the employees who lost the job due to the closure of mining by KIOCL on the orders of the Supreme Court,'' the Minister, who was here to inaugurate 1501 Gobar gas plants in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts, told reporters.

To a query on providing alternative site to KIOCL at Ramanadurga in Andhra Pradesh for mining, he said recommendations in this regard should come from the Karnataka Government. Hovever, no such recommendations have been recieved by the Ministry so far.

Mr Reddy said the Ministry had directed the Indian Bureau of Mines to ensure quality mining in the country to protect the environment.

The Ministry had come across several instances of ''improper'' mining, but he was not aware of any illegal mining. The Bureau had also been directed to come out with a changed policy on proper mining within the next four months, he added.

He said there was ample scope for mining in the country, with 18 lakh sqkm of mining area available and only one lakh sqkm being tapped. Under the new mining policy, steps would be taken to tap the potential available.

UNI