Activists Urge HD Kumaraswamy To Supply NMDC Ore To Revive KIOCL, VISL

Ballari: A citizens’ organisation working in mining-affected areas has urged Union Steel and Heavy Industries Minister HD Kumaraswamy to supply iron ore from NMDC mines to revive Karnataka’s public sector steel units, warning that opening new mines in Sandur forests would cause irreversible environmental damage.

Activist TM Shivakumar, Ugranarasimhegowda, Somasekhar Gowda, Shreeshaila Aladhalli, MLK Naidu, Eranna Mulimani, Yugandar and Ganesh handed over the letter to the Minister through Ballari Deputy Commissioner. The memorandum was handed over to Additional DC Mohammed Zubair.

The activists of various organisations under the banner Gani Badhita Pradeshadalli Parisara Mattu Jana Badukina Punarutthana Horata Samiti (Committee for the struggle for restoration of environment and people’s livelihoods in mining-affected areas) stated in the memorandum that the Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Ltd (KIOCL) and the Visvesvaraya Iron and Steel Ltd (VISL) were facing closure due to acute shortage of raw iron ore and lack of financial support.

They stated that both PSUs had played a key role in providing employment to Kannadigas but workers were now left without wages and work due to uncertainty over revival plans.

The letter welcomed Kumaraswamy’s assurance at a recent programme in Bhadravati to revive VISL but cautioned that the proposed mining in Sandur taluk would come at a heavy ecological cost. Of the total 32,000 hectares of forest in Sandur, mining is already being carried out in about 10,000 hectares, the memorandum said, adding that illegal and unregulated mining had damaged hills, water sources, health, education, wildlife and agriculture, while transport of ore had increased pollution and accidents.

The activists pointed out in the letter that to meet ore requirements of KIOCL and VISL, mining was proposed in the Kumaraswamy forest area by clearing around 1,000 acres for KIOCL and 150 acres for VISL, involving the felling of nearly 1.3 lakh trees.

They said KIOCL had estimated an initial project cost of Rs 1,783.89 crore for the Devadari mine, while VISL was preparing to spend several hundred crore rupees to obtain its own mine.

“Under the current mining proposal, KIOCL has demanded 2 MTPA and VISL 0.9 MTPA of iron ore production. Instead of destroying new forests (1,30,000 trees), their combined demand of 2.9 MTPA can be met from NMDC’s Donimalai Iron Ore Mines (DIOM) and Kumaraswamy Iron Ore Mines (KIOM), which together produce 15.6 MTPA annually. If 20 percent (3.12 MTPA) of this production is allocated, the two nearly-closed factories can be revived,” the memorandum stated.

“Capital expenditure on new mines will be saved, job security will be ensured for workers at risk of losing employment, and new jobs can also be created. Along with revival of PSUs, environmental protection and conservation of mineral wealth for future generations—as per the National Mineral Policy 2019—will be achieved,” it added.

The organisation also criticised NMDC for failing to set up a steel plant at Kudatini near Ballari despite acquiring about 2,843 acres of land in 2014 for that purpose. Instead, it alleged, NMDC was selling ore to private steel companies, strengthening them while public sector units were starved of raw material.

The memorandum also highlighted that the instances of ore theft had caused losses to the government exchequer. It attributed this to outsourcing of mining and transport operations to private agencies.

Copies of the memorandum were marked to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Forest and Environment Minister B Eshwar Khandre, and the Chief Secretary of Karnataka.