BELGAUM: The manner in which a public hearing under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, was conducted to elicit views and objections about a mining project coming up at Belgundi village near here, came in for criticism by environmental activists. The hearing was convened at Belgundi by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) and was presided over by Deputy Commissioner Shalini Rajneesh. It was aimed at eliciting views from those likely to be affected by an expansion project of Belgaum Minerals, owned by K. Surya Kumari from Andhra Pradesh. The company had approached KSPCB for environmental clearance following which the latter convened the hearing.

Farmers whose lands have been taken on lease by the mining company, two environmental activists, representatives of the company, senior officials of KSPCB, and officials of the Forests, Mines and Geology, and Health departments attended the meeting, which lasted for about an hour. Belgaum Minerals, a proprietary company formed in 2002, produces aluminous laterite for cement industries situated in what is known as the Bhima Limestone Corridor between Tandur, Wadi, Gulbarga and nearby areas between Raichur and Gulbarga districts. The company has taken 90.36 hectares of allegedly non-forest patta land owned by 100 individuals for a period of twenty years for its expansion programme to increase production of aluminous laterite from one lakh to two lakh tonnes per annum. It will pay an annual royalty of Rs. 2 lakhs to the 100 landowners (Rs. 2,000 each) and Rs. 39 lakhs to the State exchequer.

The company has promised to reclaim the mining land before handing it over to the villagers and to take up welfare schemes in the area including a sanitation programme, renovation of a church and implementation of a drinking water scheme under the Swajal Dhara scheme of the Government.

Though the lease agreement is for 20 years, the company announced that mining operations will last for only 12 years.

After a three-minute technical presentation about the proposed plans and a discussion on the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report prepared a Belgaum-based agency, the meeting was thrown open for questions and reactions. Landowners asked whether they would continue to get royalty for the remaining eight years after the mining operations ceased and were given a positive reply. The former MLA Parshuram Nandihalli praised the company for taking up the project.

Environmental activist Amrut Charantimath said the company can complete mining activities ahead of schedule by using modern excavators and equipment.

Another activist Srihari Kugji raised several objections and said that the hearing was being held in violation of environmental laws.

He said the EIA notification was published only in English and Kannada dailies and not in a Marathi daily, which was a violation of para 2 of schedule 5 of the EIA Notification. Speaking to The Hindu , Ms. Rajneesh said the concerns expressed at the meeting have been taken into consideration and the authorities concerned have been asked to issue the project and other details related to environmental issues in Marathi. She admitted to the lapse on the part of KSPCB who failed to inform the gram panchayat concerned about the hearing.

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