Months of activism over quarrying and mining around Bannerghatta National Park (BNP) seems to have an effect, with the leases of five mines closed and another 10 under the scanner. The eventual penalties on these mines, accused of a plethora of environmental and mining violations, could exceed ₹100 crore, said officials in the Department of Mines and Geology.
While the operations of five stone and granite quarries have been suspended, another 10 will be suspended soon, said N.S. Prasanna Kumar, Director, Mines and Geology Department. “The verification of boundaries, mining documents and the quantity extracted will have to be verified. We are also monitoring the case in the High Court, and expect the leases to be suspended soon,” he said.
While environmental violations, particularly in the buffer zone of the park and mining in critical elephant corridors, were the trigger for many complaints, officials have found grave violations in mining terms, including not marking boundaries of the lease, violation of quarry plans and ignoring pollution control norms. The mines are in Shivanahalli and Thammanaikanhalli, both close to the BNP.
“These violations will attract fines of around ₹100 crore. We are also looking at serious action against officials who allowed these violations,” said Mr. Kumar.
Similar violations elsewhere had resulted in the suspension of three officials in Kolar, Udupi and Raichur districts while fines of up to ₹98 crore had been levied on people operating illegal mines in various parts of the State.
The department is confident that the ‘legal’ mines in Tumakuru, Channapatna and other areas around Bengaluru can meet the demand of the construction sector in the city.
Mining has been a consistent grouse for residents and environmentalists. The Forest Department had even written seeking closure of mines amidst Ragihalli forest. However, the movement picked steam in February when over 15,000 citizens signed a petition to save BNP from ‘grave danger’.
In May, Union Minister Harshavardhan intervened, and the Ministry of Environment and Forests issued a letter saying there can be no mining within a 10-km radius of the park until the final Eco-Sensitive Zone is notified.
Vijay Nishanth, an environmentalist who started the petition, says that the suspensions have already had an effect and led to greater movement of animals. “Local villagers are relieved by the reduction in the noise. The eventual goal is habitat restoration, as this is an important corridor that is already facing urbanisation pressures,” he said.