The Hindu : Karnataka News : There is no truth in the charge, says official

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Wednesday, Jan 30, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka

There is no truth in the charge, says official

Staff Correspondent

KOLAR: Even as the people of Narasapur hobli are preparing to take up cudgels against the quarry lobbying, the officials concerned have said that there is no iota of truth in their allegations. Cracks in houses in the region cannot be related to the blasts in stone quarries, they said.

“There is no scientific reason to prove that the damage caused to the houses in the region are because of blasting activities in stone quarries,” S.R. Nagaraj, senior geologist in the Department of Mines and Geology told The Hindu on Tuesday. “We have undertaken proper investigation and a scientific check to measure the vibration due to blasting. It has not been established that the cracks were the result of the use of explosives in quarries,” Mr. Nagaraj said.

Of course, blasting has prohibited within the periphery of 200 metres from residential areas, he said. He attributes poor construction quality and other factors as reasons for damage to the buildings in the area.

Quarry lease is under vogue since 15 to 20 years in the region. How is it that a new problem, damage to houses, has emerged all of a sudden, he asks. Quarrying activities cannot be banned as many people have invested lakhs of rupees in the industry and also, it is providing jobs to about 3,000 people, Mr. Nagaraj said.

The official also expressed helplessness over instructions from the Government. “The Government has set a revenue target of Rs. 800 lakh for Kolar district for the department. We have also received instructions from the Government to allow activities that boost construction activities. Under such circumstances, we cannot halt any process that hamper the supply of construction material,” Mr. Nagaraj said.

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