7 months ago
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The determination bureau of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Bengaluru, has rejected a connection for diversion of 48.2 ha of forestland for a mining task successful Tumakuru district.
This follows a tract inspection connected September 23 and 25, by S. Senthil Kumar, Deputy Director-General of Forests, Central Regional Office, Bengaluru.
In reserve forest
The inspection pertained to a connection seeking clearance for the Sarangapani Iron and Manganese Ore Mine Project. The mining task is successful Thirtharamapura Reserve Forest and is dispersed crossed Gollarahalli, Hosahalli, Kodihalli, Tonalapura, and Lakmenahalli villages successful Chikkanayakanahalli taluk of Tumakuru district.
The inspection study noted ambiguities successful the ineligible presumption of the wood land, invalid biology clearances, and lack of a clearance from the National Board for Wildlife. The rejection besides stems from the information that commercialized mining is simply a prohibited enactment wrong the deemed Eco-Sensitive Zone of Bukkapatna WLS.
The tract inspection followed a ailment by Giridhar Kulkarni, a wildlife conservationist who had stated that the task was ecologically unsound and would destruct wildlife situation isolated from disrupting a captious elephant migratory route. He besides underlined the hydrological risks and said that the scenery was the lone watershed for respective drought-prone villages and would impact some wildlife and section livelihoods.
Drought prone
The study noted that Chikkanayakanahalli taluk, wherever the tract lies, is drought prone, and the Thirtharampura Reserve Forest and Janneru Forest Block service arsenic captious watersheds and immoderate demolition oregon degradation would worsen the region’s existing h2o scarcity.
The wood country has undergone earthy ecological restoration since mining ceased successful 1999, according to the inspection study which drew from the wildlife surveys (Tumkur Forest Division Working Plan & tract inspections) which recorded taxon including sloth bear, leopard, hyena, Indian wolf, jackal, chaotic boar, four-horned antelope, and jungle cat, with indirect grounds observed during inspections.
It besides noted that human–wildlife struggle records (2015–16 to 2025–26) indicated that determination were implicit 380 incidents and mining would further intensify conflicts.
The study stated that successful summation to the Sarangapani proposal, 18 different mining leases wrong the Thirtharampura Reserve Forest and Janneru Forest Block (formerly ML No. 1234, 989.19 ha) are pending wood clearance and support of the mining task volition person disastrous effects connected the ecology of the country and the socio-economy of the villages situated successful these areas.
Welcome move
Reacting to the developments, Mr. Kulkarni said the determination of the MoEF & CC is invited arsenic it has cautiously reviewed the social, ecological, and ineligible concerns earlier recommending rejection of the Sarangapani mining proposal.
“When our forests and wildlife habitats are nether tremendous unit from improvement projects — and astatine a clip erstwhile astir proposals are being cleared — specified decisions are highly uncommon successful the contiguous scenario,” helium added.
