Reserve forest land is a protected area and no other activities are permitted on this land. However, in a curious incident, the Chikkaballapur deputy-divisional officials have permitted a private party to conduct mining at the reserve forest area.
As many as 13 miners had submitted applications seeking permission to undertake mining in the Suddanahalli area, Nandi hobli, Chikkaballapur taluk. Only 3 of them were granted  the permission. Following protest from forest department, two of them abandoned the mining operation and one person willingly came forward to go ahead. He has also filed a petition in the court of deputy divisional officer.
Interestingly, a No Objection certificate was issued with regard to the said land in 1991, stating that the land did not belong to Forest Department. However, on verification it was found that the land did belong to Forest Department. Immediately the deputy forest conservator, wrote to the deputy director of Department of Mines and Geology and informed him that the land belongs to reserve forest and that the NOC issued by the previous officials must have been a mistake. He had also requested the department not to hand over the land to the said party and had also brought it to the notice of the  deputy commissioner. A letter was also written in last August in this regard clarifying the status.
However, in a strange turn of the event, the deputy divisional official, overriding the Zonal Forest officials and Assistant Zonal Forest officials , issued a notification stating that stay order be issued against the notification by the Forest Department officials and that the land could not be taken over by the department and also permitted mining in Survey number 68 in a area of 9 acres and 16 guntas.
Under fire
This is a Stay Order to a government notification and only government can issue a Stay Order to an order issued by the government. The order has come under fire.
The issue has been brought to the notice of the divisional officials and an inquiry is being conducted in this regard.
However, another interim order has been issued by the deputy divisional officials on July 4 and instructed to maritain Status-quo.
The issue is under discussion.