JOIN USJoint survey of 99 mines from May 16
The joint survey of 99 iron ore mining leases in Bellary district for identifying possible encroachment as directed by the Supreme Court will commence from May 16 onwards.
The department of Mines and Geology on Thursday served a notice on all the 99 lessees to be prepared with relevant documents for verification during the survey.
The Supreme Court on May 6 had directed setting up a new team to conduct a fresh survey and to demarcate the boundaries of 99 iron ore leases in the Bellary-Hospet forest region.
The new team would comprise representatives of the Central Empowered Committee, the Forest and Mines and Geology departments of the State Government and Karnataka Lokayukta.
The team would conduct fresh survey and demarcation of all the 99 leased mines in the presence of representatives of the mining firms and if any encroachment is found the mining in the entire leased area would be stopped, the court had stated.
Five teams
According to official sources, a total of five teams would be constituted for the survey.
Prominent among those in the panel would be Chief Conservator of Forests and head of the Lokayukta investigating team on illegal mining Dr U V Singh, Dipak Sarmah and Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Mines and Geology Director H R Srinivas, the sources added.
“Survey and demarcation notice will be served on the individual lessees at their official addresses and will be displayed on the office notice boards of deputy director, Hospet / senior geologist, Bellary at least 24 hours before the commencement of the operations.
“Non-receipt of notice will not be accepted as a reason for delaying and postponing the survey and demarcation operations,” the department stated on Thursday.