Hearing a petition by the State, the division bench headed by Justice Gopala Gowda directed the Government to abide by the rules as per 21 (2) B of Karnataka Minerals Concession rules.
The bench said that the committee headed by deputy commissioner or assistant commissioner, should monitor the process of auction. During the hearing, M E Shivalinga Murthy, Director, Mines and Geology, submitted that the department had identified 1338 sand blocks measuring 7,788 acres in various riverbeds, of which only 66 blocks measuring 235 acres had been auctioned in the year 2009-10.
Measures
He also submitted about the measures taken to check illegal mining and transportation in areas where licence is not granted.
Published 18 December 2009, 17:54 IST