SHIMOGA: The Tunga-Bhadra Ulisi Horata Okkoota (Save Tunga and Bhadra Action Committee) has decided to take a delegation to Chief Minister N. Dharam Singh to prevail upon him not to allow mining operations by the Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Ltd. (KIOCL) at Kudremukh in Chikmagalur district in view of the Supreme Court's order to stop mining by December 31.

The decision to this effect was taken at meeting of the central committee held here on Saturday .

Many environmental activists who spoke at the meeting said that some politicians and literary figures are arguing that discontinuation of mining will affect the interests of daily-wage workers of KIOCL.

The speakers said that these self-styled sympathisers of the workers seemed to have overlooked the extent of damage to the environment caused by the mining operations.

The other points mentioned in the resolution of the meeting were that the vokkoota should urge the Government to provide adequate security to workers of the KIOCL after its closure. It also decided to form a committee comprising environmentalists, activists, government officers and other volunteers to pressure the KIOCL to take needful action to set right the damage done to the environment.

The vokkoota will frame its next programme based on the further developments on the matter and discuss alternative arrangements to KIOCL employees at a convention to be held on January 22.

President of the vokkoota Kalkuli Vittal Hegde, freedom fighter Ponnammal, lawyer N. Manjula Devi, convenor of Namma Hakku Vedike Sripal, Eesuru Lokesh of Civil Liberty Forum and K.L. Ashok, Manjula and other activists from Chitradurga, Chikmagalur and Davangere districts were present.

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