Karnataka government, Baldotas destroying forest: Jagadish Shettar
Was Kappathagudda conservation reserve tag withdrawn to help group?
Bengaluru: Former Chief Minister and Opposition leader in the Assembly, Jagadish Shettar alleged on Wednesday that the state government had withdrawn the notification declaring the Kappathagudda forests a conservation reserve to help a Baldota group company mine for gold in the region.
Speaking to reporters here, he noted that although the government had on December 19, 2015 declared 44143 acres of forest land in Gadag, Mundaragi and Shirahatti taluks of Gadag district as the Kappathagudda Conservation Reserve owing to its ecological and geomorphological importance, it withdrew the tag by a notification on November 4 this year ignoring public opinion.
The decision, he claimed, was taken as Ramgad Minerals and Mining Limited (RMML), a Baldota group company, wanted to start gold mining in Gadag district.
Besides the RMML, Enercon India Private Limited too was keen on tapping wind energy in Kappathagudda and the government has given in to both companies, the BJP leader alleged, demanding that it restore Kappathagudda’s reserve forest status.
Moving on, he claimed the state government had misused funds of the Karnataka Road Development Corporation to hold a Congress workers meeting in Gokak on December 3 this year.
Although CM Siddaramaiah had performed a ground breaking ceremony related to the corporation in Gokak on the occasion, the event was hijacked by the Congress, with its banners hogging the limelight. Interestingly, after the ground breaking ceremony, a Congress meeting was held at the same venue on December 3, he observed.