Illegal mining forced farmers to quit: M F Saldanha

Retired High Court Justice, M F Saldanha insisted that court should take a suo motu complaint against the illegal mining in and around Bannerghatta National Park.

Speaking at a press conference here on Tuesday, he said, "There are 47 villages around Bannerghatta. People who depended on agriculture are forced to give up farming due to mining. The authorities are not registering a complaint even if they complain about illegal mining. It is surprising that no action has been taken so far by the authorities."

CEO, Namma Bengaluru Foundation, Sridhar Pabbisetty, said,"The deemed Eco-Sensitive Zone needs to be safeguarded by the state government. Any leases within these zones should be immediately withdrawn. We also demand the state government to renotify the earlier draft Eco-Sensitive Zones of 269 square km without any reduction. Bannerghatta is too precious an ecological zone and source of many important streams for us to lose to the greed of a few mining mafia companies.”