The Hindu : Karnataka News : Jatha against illegal blasting in quarries

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Karnataka

Karnataka

Jatha against illegal blasting in quarries

Staff Correspondent

KOLAR: Hundreds of people, including a large number of women, from villages under Narasapur hobli in Kolar taluk took out a jatha from Ramasandra Gate to the district headquarters on Wednesday demanding a halt to blasting activities in quarries which are damaging to houses and crops in the region.

Taking proper anti-pollution measures in the stone crusher units to avoid pollution was their another major demand. Inaugurating the jatha at Ramasandra Gate, about 20 km from Kolar, G.C. Bayya Reddy, general secretary of Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha (KPRS), called upon authorities to safeguard the health and life of residents in villages.

He threatened to launch a Raj Bhavan chalo agitation if steps were not taken to end quarrying, he said.

KPRS taluk president Holur Shankar said the organisation was not demanding the closure of either quarries or crushers. “We want only safety measures,” he added. The KPRS is not against working people, he said.

Earlier, some people under the banner of Kannada Kooli Karmikara Horata Vedike staged a dharna at the gate on NH 4 protesting against the jatha.

Though tension prevailed for some time owing to the presence of opposing groups, no untoward incident took place.

The jatha passed off peacefully, the police said.

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