'State image down due to ore theft, mining'

In a letter written to Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, the Union Minister said the recent media reports about the illegal mining activities in Karnataka and disappearance of iron ore from the port, would present a very poor image of the State administration in general and the mineral sector in particular.

The two-page letter which contains media reports about the disappearance of iron ore from port and other related issues was received by the Chief Minister’s office on Thursday through fax.

“The Central Government is not only concerned about the matter in terms of the poor enforcement of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Rules, the latest developments in Karnataka are likely to have multi-sectoral ramifications with regard to the quality of governance”, the Minister said in his letter a copy of which is with Deccan Herald.

Despite the State Government officials assuring the Ministry that sufficient action has been initiated to control illegal mining, theft and export of iron ore are in utter disregard for the law of the land and it also shows that the illegal mining mafia in Karnataka needs to be tackled without any further delay to avoid complete breakdown in the regulatory systems in the field level in the State government, said the Minister.

Seeking his personal intervention, Handique asked the Chief Minister to submit an action taken report about entire gamut of illegal mining as well as theft of ore from the port. Handique also enclosed his previous two letters along with this letter.

In his earlier letters, Handique had urged the State to allow to the CBI to conduct inquiry to stem illegal mining. However, the Chief Minister rejected it stating it was uncalled for.
Even when the Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM), the regulatory body under the Ministry of Mines, which had conducted survey in Karnataka recently, had found large scale illegal mining activities and shipping out of crores of rupees of worth ore from the country.
The minister's letter comes in the backdrop of nearly five lakh tonne of iron ore which was seized and kept in Belekeri Port in Karnataka being illegally shipped out. The IBM is also investigating into the missing of ore which was estimated to be worth over Rs 200 crore.  
DH News Service