NEW DELHI:After Bellary, the Supreme Court Friday banned iron ore mining in Tumkur and Chitradurga districts of Karnataka after an expert panel’s report of widespread illegalities in these areas.
Ordering the ban, the court said the reclamation and rehabilitation of ecology in the area devastated by reckless mining will have to go together with economic activity involving industry and there had to be a balance between the two.
The apex court’s forest bench of Chief Justice S.H. Kapadia, Justice Aftab Alam and Justice Swatanter Kumar gave the order following an Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report by the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) on mining activities in Tumkur and Chitradurga districts.The court said that pending further orders, there will be a ban on mining in Tumkur and Chitradurga.
The court had imposed similar ban on mining activities in Bellary district of Karnataka on July 29, 2011.
The court directed the Indian Council for Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) to undertake macro-level EIA study in respect of Tumkur and Chitradurga and submit a reclamation and rehabilitation plan.
The court by its Aug 5 order had said that the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) will carry out its EIA in collaboration with Wildlife Institute of India and such other domain experts as decided by ICFRE in consultation with the environment and forest ministry.(IANS)
