MoEF officials say no to mining in Karnataka's Tumakuru forests

Bengaluru: In a development that comes as a saviour for the vitiated Thirtharampura Reserve Forest in Chikkanayakanahalli, Tumakuru district, the regional office of the union environment ministry has recommended the rejection of the proposal to restart the 'C' category mine which was shut down in 1999.

The dry deciduous forest in the Janeeru Block is home to sloth bear, leopard, wild boar, black buck, hyena and wolf among other animals. It is part of the 2,427 acres granted to Sarangapani Mudaliar in the 1950s.

After the end of the lease in 1999, the government granted about 1,725 acres to several companies, including 119 acres to Mineral Enterprises Private Limited (MEPL).

However, confusion over the classification of the area as forest led to the delay in further processing of the matter. After a protracted legal battle in the high court and Supreme Court, the company applied for forest clearance.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) had sought inspection of two mines adjacent to the area leased to MEPL. The then Deputy Conservator of Forests (Central) R Padmawathe, who conducted the inspection, flagged importance of protecting the area.

"It is suggested that this area need not be diverted for mining keeping the watershed point of view, apart from above mentioned reasons,” he said, listing the regeneration of forest, sightings of wildlife like sloth bears and chital and because it shelters the migratory population from Bannerghatta National Park".

Deputy Inspector General of Forests Praneetha Paul, who conducted the inspection of area sought by MEPL, cited scientific studies to state that the forest was home to 126 native and endemic species of plants, including medicinal.

“Moreover, human-wildlife conflict compensation details of Chikkanayakanahalli range for the past 10 years (2015-16 to 2025-26) revealed more than 380 cases, including elephants. Hence initiation of mining activity in these forests would further aggravate human-wildlife conflicts,” she said.

The officer said 18 mining leases have been demarcated within safe forest and pending clearance. Allowing mining will have disastrous consequences, she said.

Deputy Director General of Forests S Senthilkumar echoed the concerns of his officer. “The proposal is not recommended in the present form,” he said. 

Activist Giridhar Kulkarni, who had written to the state and central authorities to reject the mining proposal, thanked the union ministry.

“When our forests are under tremendous pressure from development projects — and at a time when most proposals are being cleared — such decisions are extremely rare. This underscores that wildlife conservation is a never-ending challenge,” he said.