Karnataka seeks SC nod for eco restoration plan

Restoration of the mine-ravaged districts of Ballari, Chitradurga and Tumakuru will be undertaken after the approval

The government has submitted an action plan for Rs 2,000 crore to the Supreme Court for its approval. The Karnataka government has submitted the draft action plan to the apex court and is awaiting its approval to undertake restoration of the mine-ravaged districts of Ballari, Chitradurga and Tumakuru, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said.

Inaugurating the day-long conference on 'Mining in Karnataka: Enhancing Production', organised by Assocham and the Ministry of Mines, he said the Karnataka government has incorporated a new non-profit company called Karnataka Mining Environment Restoration Corporation (KMERC) to undertake the overall development of the mining impact zones of these three districts, he said.

"Once taken up, this would be the first and biggest programme in the country to mitigate the impact of mining," he said.

KMERC would also undertake environmental protection programmes and address other socio-economic issues such as education, health and nutrition, water supply and sanitation, employment and training, infrastructure schemes in the mining impact districts, the chief minister added.

He said the KMERC would be an independent body and would function in addition to the District Mineral Foundation (DMF), which would be set up under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulations) (Amendment) Act, 2015. Both, the KMERC and DMF would have separate sources of funds and would work towards the same goal in a coherent manner.

Siddaramaiah said the government has introduced an Integrated Lease Management System (ILMS) and made generation of permits, submission of returns online with weighbridge integration, use of RFID to track the movement of mineral transporting vehicles.

The state is going to introduce the integrated permit system, wherein the leaseholder will be able to generate permits of Forest, Mines and Geology and Commercial tax department on a single platform, he added.

He said the state government intends to bring transparency in allocation of minor minerals also. In this regard, the state intends to amend the Karnataka Minor Mineral Concession Rules, 1994 and has published the proposed amendments in the public domain inviting comments and suggestions from the public and stakeholders concerned. The same will be finalised and implemented at the earliest, he added.