Unabated quarrying may change Tungabhadra river course, fear villagers

Illegal stone quarrying near Bukkasagara-Kadebagilu bridge across Tungabhadra river in the taluk is taking a toll on the river. Because of which, the river may change its course, fear the environmentalists and the villagers.

A hill close to the bridge on Kadebagilu end has fast disappeared while several hillocks on both the sides have been reduced to mounds of rubble due to unabated quarrying.

A large extent of land close to the river has been flattened. At several points, it looks like an extended part of the riverbed. If the quarrying is not stopped, the river will change its course and may spell doom for the farmland and villages nearby, say the aggrieved villagers.

Earlier, stone quarrying was done on a large-scale at Bukkasagar forest area. The government stopped quarrying following a sustained pressure by the environmentalists. The forest area was included under Daroji bear sanctuary. According to the locals, the quarry operators moved their operations to the hilly terrain close to Tungabhadra river in Bukkasagar-Kadebagilu villages.

“A few years back some traditional stone-cutters used to make their living by cutting blocks/boulders on a small-scale. After the quarrying was stopped in Bukkasagar forest, the quarry owners shifted to the hillocks on Tungabhadra river bank. A few others joined them in illegal stone quarrying to make money fast. During monsoon, the river meanders its way into the farmland in Bukkasagar and Venkatapur villages due to rampant quarrying. If the quarrying continues unabated, the river may soon change its course and submerge the villages,” fear Basavaraj, Hulugappa and others of Bukkasagar village.

The bridge connects the most of Kalyana Karnataka districts. The elected representatives and the officials, who take this route on regular basis, are silent to illegal quarrying operations being carried out 24X7, the aggrieved villagers complained.

Meanwhile, the Bukkasagar panchayat officer said that he’s not aware of quarrying and that stringent action would be taken against those involved in such activity. Srishailagouda, PDO, Bukkasagar told DH, “We have not issued any permission for quarrying in the region. Any violations as such will be brought to the notice of the higher-ups.”