Ballari: Each Gram Panchayat in the iron ore mining belt of Ballari-Sandur-Hosapete is likely to get Rs 2 crore grant per annum to undo the damages of mining till next ten years. Ballari deputy commissioner Mr Ram Prasath Manohar, while addressing a public consultation, has stated that funds will be allocated to panchayats from the corpus of Karnataka Mining Environment Restoration Corporation (KMERC), the special purpose vehicle (SPV) set up by the state government to carry out the restoration process.
Mega project
Central Empowered Committee (CEC) of the Supreme Court had recommended a Rs 30,000 crore mega project to undo the damage done to the environment of Ballari, Chitradurga and Tumkur district by reckless mining operations. The green bench of the Supreme Court later directed the state government to set up a company to formulate and implement projects under the Comprehensive Environment Plan for Mining Impact Zone (CEPMIZ) With such huge money involved, elected representatives in the mining region are making a beeline to submit major action plans worth hundreds of crore.
Politicians, civil contractors and NGOs are eyeing the huge funds soon expected for Ballari for reclaiming land devastated by illegal mining. The rush to milk the new goldmine began after reports that district would get Rs 15,000 crore funds through KMERC in next 10 years for developmental work under the CEPMIZ. Panchayat Development Officers have been reportedly told to prepare an action plan for spending the Rs 2 crore to be released by the KMERC.
Rs 220-cr for Sandur
And going by official sources, the mining hub of the Sandur forest range alone will get Rs 200 crore for rehabilitation and reclamation of devastated forest areas.
Taluk level revenue and forest department officials admit in private that they are not competent to prepare an action plan for utilising the several crores. In reality, the job of preparing such a standard action plan involving several crores cannot be done by an officer of the rank of PDO or a Forest Range Officer. It can only be done by a reputed and expert institution. We can merely give inputs and assist in preparing such a plan,” says one officer.
