Karnataka govt to decide on quarry licences near KRS after review

The government has received several requests to renew quarrying licences, following the closure of quarries near Krishnaraja Sagar reservoir.

The government will take a call on these proposals after thoroughly reviewing them, Mines and Geology Minister Achar Halappa Basappa said on Monday.

The minister told reporters that the government would assess whether allowing any mining activity around KRS would affect its safety, while noting that a task force was set up recently under the Mandya deputy commissioner to verify the same.

He dismissed complaints that the safety of Krishnarajasagar reservoir was compromised due to illegal quarrying around it, maintaining that currently all quarrying or mining near the dam had been stopped completely.

It can be recalled that the alleged illegal quarrying around KRS had triggered a slug fest between Mandya MP Sumalatha and JD(S) leaders, including former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy.

The MP had petitioned Union Home Minister Amit Shah and former mines and geology minister Murugesh Nirani, urging them to curb quarrying around the dam.

The department will look into illegal sand mining at large across the state and will tackle it in a time-bound manner, the minister said.

The government is coming up with a comprehensive sand policy soon, the minister said.

Apart from curbing illegal sand mining, the policy is expected to offer sand at affordable prices to the common man.

He said that the government was looking at measures to increase revenue from taxes and royalties collected by the department.

Achar Halappa Basappa, who also holds the women and child development portfolio, said the families of anganwadi workers who breathed their last during the Covid first wave were compensated, while the process to pay compensation to the families of those who died during the second wave was under progress.