Illegal mining activity in Bellary

Bellary, Karnataka, July 30: With stringent action undertaken by the district administration, illegal iron ore mining activities have been controlled, Deputy Commissioner Arvind Srivastav said today.

The action had resulted in the seizure of over 46,000 metric tons of ore, worth about Rs two crore, tippers, trucks and digging machineries. Besides, overloading of trucks had been stopped and railway permits subjected to verification. Six check posts have been set up at sensitive points, connecting the border districts. The permits issued by the neighbouring State would be counter checked at the check posts, he told newspersons here.

Mr Srivastav said task force committees, headed by Assistant Commissioners, have been constituted in taluks where such activities were rampant. The next Task Force Committee meeting would be held on August one, with the participation of geology, revenue, forest and pollution control board officials to chalk out future strategies.

He said survey of mining land would be completed in three to four months to identify mining areas in patta, revenue and forest lands.

Illegal mining was rampant in revenue and patta lands and encroachment of forest lands was another problem. The survey of these lands was getting delayed due to shortage of survey staff in the mines and geology department.

Mr Srivastav said another focus area was employing of child labourers in the sector. As the Labour department had failed to check child labour in mining excavation work, authorities have suspended Labour Officer Mohammed Munavar and booked as many as 135 cases under the Child Labour Act. About 2,500 child labourers have been identified, of whom 1,500 have been rehabilitated.

Over 220 cases have been registered for excavating ore from patta land under the Land Reforms Act and such activities would continue, he added.

UNI