The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Rs. 300 crore collected as penalty for illegal mining

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jul 04, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Rs. 300 crore collected as penalty for illegal mining

Special Correspondent

BANGALORE: The Government has collected Rs. 300 crore as penalty for illegal mining from mine owners and contractors in Bellary district over the past year.

Minister for Forests, Ecology and Environment C. Chennigappa told presspersons here on Tuesday that the department had clamped down on illegal mining across the State. A Range Forest Officer had been suspended on the charge of encouraging illegal mining at Sathnur in Bangalore Rural district, he said.

A decision had been taken to fill vacancies of 100 forest watchers, 90 guards and 40 range forest officers in the current financial year. Night patrolling in forests region would be intensified to check the manufacture of illicit liquor and smuggling of timber.

School

He said the Sri Channamma Deve Gowda Public School located at Byranayakanahalli in Nelamangala taluk of Bangalore Rural district would be inaugurated on July 13.

The residential school would offer free education to orphaned children till they attained 19 years of age. Sri Maruthi Seva Samiti would run the school, which was constructed at a cost of Rs. 23 crore. He said the school had obtained permission from all departments and it had not violated any environmental norms.

There was no need for clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests or the State Pollution Control Board for the construction of a school.

A section of the media had reported that the Minister had constructed the school by flouting all rules.

The school was constructed with help of public donations, and it would offer CBSE and ICSE syllabus.

About 500 children would be admitted in the current academic year, Mr. Chennigappa said.

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