The Hindu : Karnataka News : Committees formed to check illegal mining, tree felling

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Nov 05, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka - Others

Committees formed to check illegal mining, tree felling

By Our Staff Correspondent

CHITRADURGA, NOV. 4. Two committees have been formed to prevent illegal mining and indiscriminate felling of trees to erect windmills in the district.

S.R. Umashankar, Deputy Commissioner, who formed the committees here on Wednesday, directed the officials to take stringent action against offenders.

Overloaded lorries

Presiding over a meeting of the Environmental Protection Authority here, he took exception to the movement of overloaded lorries in a few parts of Hosadurga and Holalkere taluks, which not only damaged the road but also polluted the atmosphere.

It was essential to initiate severe action against people who were involved in the illegal transportation of ore, he added.

The Deputy Conservator of Forests, S. Kariyappa, said that the thermal power units in the district, which used bio-fuels, were unnecessarily felling trees.

He said that this would result in severe environmental imbalance.

`Monitor fuel supply'

The Deputy Commissioner suggested that the Joint Director of Industries, the Deputy Environmental Officer, and the Conservator of Forests be included in the committees.

He said that they would be given the responsibility of monitoring the fuel supply to the thermal units.

A committee consisting of the Deputy Conservator of Forests, the Deputy Director of Mines and Geology, the Regional Transport Officer, the Deputy Director of Land Records, and the Deputy Environmental Officer, was formed to check illegal mining activities in the district.

Cases

Halaswamy, Regional Transport Officer, said that 951 cases had been booked for overloading lorries.

An amount of Rs. 9 lakhs had been imposed as penalty, he added.

Joint campaign

The Deputy Commissioner instructed officials of the Food and Civil Supplies and the Police departments to launch a joint campaign to prevent the adulteration of fuel.

He directed the environmental officer to take steps to check air pollution.

It was decided to ban the sale of firecrackers that exceeded the sound limit of 125 decibels.

The officials of the Revenue Department were instructed to shift the slaughterhouses from the town to a suitable site on the outskirts.

S.H. Vijaya Kumar, headquarters assistant to the Deputy Commissioner; G. Ramadas, municipal commissioner; and other officers participated.

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