Strict action to be taken against illegal mining, says Karnataka Minister

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], January 28 : Days after Shivamogga blast, Karnataka Mines and Geology Minister Murugesh R Nirani on Wednesday warned those indulging in illegal mining and said stringent action will be taken against them.
"We have information regarding illegal mining activities. I have instructed the officials to prepare a list of offenders and submit a report. The government will take action against them," Nirani said while addressing the media, after meeting with top officials over measures to prevent illegal mining and policy to regularise unauthorised mining.
Speaking about the Shivamogga blast, the Minister said that the person who supplied explosives in connection with the Shivamogga blast has been arrested and an FIR has already been registered.
The Minister also denied allegations against him and termed the complainant as a cheater. "I know the background of the person who has lodged a complaint against me. I have not suffered any setback and I have acted as per law," he said.
The Minister said that the department will conduct 'mining adalats' to address the grievances of those indulging in mining activities on a small scale. "The adalats will be conducted at five places-Mysuru, Belagavi, Kalaburagi and Hubballi-Dharwad," he said.
Stating that adalats will be conducted on the lines of industrial adalats conducted during his earlier tenure as Industries Minister and priority will be to address department-wise problems, he said "Over 75 per cent of problems faced at the local level would be resolved through Adalats and there is no need for people to visit Bengaluru to get permits. Steps will be taken to ensure easy availability of sand, crushed stone grains and other essentials," Nirani added.
The Minister said that the Adalats will be started after the Legislative Assembly session and will be conducted in five places every fifteen days and thereby resolving 70 per cent of grievances.
Stressing on the need to allow mining for industrial growth in the state, Murugesh Nirani maintained that mining activities must continue for sustained economic growth. "New policy will be implemented to regularise unauthorised mining. Karnataka has more iron deposits compared to other states and we need to take advantage of it for our growth," he added.
Nirani said that a mining institute will also be set up in Karnataka on the lines of the Indian School of Mines. We will discuss the proposal with the Chief Minister and then decide on the location. The BDA or KIADB will have to allocate land if the institute was to come up in Bengaluru and there is no land problem," he added.