Mining at Kappatagudda: Forest dept refuses to give clearance to Baldota firm

The Forest department has refused to issue a no-objection certificate to Baldota-owned Ramgad Minerals and Mining Ltd (RML), for gold mining at Kappatagudda Hills in Shirahatti taluk of the district, for not furnishing proper documents.

The department, however, has told the company that it will consider the fresh application, if filed with requisite documents.

The company had submitted an online application to Ministry of Forests and Environment (MoFE) seeking NOC for taking up gold mining in the name of Sangli Gold Mines on 98.6 acres under Kappatagudda forest range, at Jelligeri village in Shirahatti taluk.

The office of Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Bengaluru, had suggested the office of Deputy Conservator of Forests, Gadag, to review the application and take an appropriate action.

“The company had submitted a copy of the application seeking NOC for gold mining to the Gadag office. But it had failed to provide original documents, including the map of the site. We rejected the application for want of proper records. The company can file fresh application for NOC,” Deputy Conservator of Forests, Yashpal Ksheerasagar, told DH.

“The applicants seeking NoC have to first submit the application to the Office of the Deputy Conservator of Forests of respective districts. The application and the documents, including the map of the site, will be reviewed. If we are satisfied with the applications and records, we will forward the application to the principal office of the department and from there it will be sent to MoEF,” the DCF said.

Reserve forest tag

The state government had withdrawn the conservation reserve tag to Kappatagudda Hills, spread over 80,000 acres, on Nov 4, 2016, citing that there is no national park in the area and that the public opinion was not taken before declaring the hills as forest reserve.

The government’s decision had triggered protests in the district. Siddalinga Swami of Thontadarya Mutt in Gadag led an indefinite hunger strike on February 13, 2017. The state government, finally, relented and issued a notification on April 11, declaring 17,872.24 hectares of Kappatagudda as reserve forest.