Illegal mining scam: Karnataka govt forms yet another panel under H K Patil

Bengaluru: The Cabinet on Wednesday formed a sub-committee headed by Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil to look into the illegal mining issue.

“The tenure of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed to look into the illegal mining issue has been extended. A Cabinet sub-committee headed by Law Minister (H K Patil) has been formed to look into this and has been provided a time period of one month to give its report.”

The Cabinet’s decision comes after Patil wrote a scathing 7-page letter to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, in which he had accused the government of "apathy" on the issue and urged the CM to take measures.

Patil reminded Siddaramaiah of the 320-km foot march he had led to Ballari in 2010 to take on the illegal mining issue.

“Only 7.6% of all illegal mining cases have been examined. Between 2007 and 2011, massive treachery took place in Karnataka in the form of illegal mining. Politicians and bureaucrats systematically looted the state’s wealth. The government lost Rs 1.5 lakh crore,” the minister said in the letter.

During Siddaramaiah’s first tenure (2013-18) as the chief minister, a Cabinet sub-committee headed by Patil had been formed to look into the issue.