Mohan Kuthar
Daijiworld Media Network - Bantwal
Bantwal, Nov 27: Residents of Tenkakajekaru in Badaga Kajeekaru village have raised objections against ongoing black stone quarrying in Kanchinadkka, following which officials conducted an inspection on November 26 as per directions of the Karnataka High Court.
A team comprising officials from the forest department, mines and geology department and revenue department visited the area and inspected six houses, an Anganwadi centre, Mahadeva Deveshwara Tenkakajekaru temple, Nagabana and two water tanks before collecting reports.
The High Court had issued directions after six residents of Kanchinadkka filed a petition stating that the quarry and crusher, operating under licence DKD 382 issued on December 4, 2017, were violating Section 6 of the Karnataka Stone Crushers Regulation Act 2011. The petition mentioned that the unit is located close to a public road, causing inconvenience due to the movement of heavy vehicles. The continuous operation of the unit round-the-clock had led to noise pollution, disturbance to wildlife, soil erosion and damage to basic infrastructure, the complaint stated.
It was further alleged that the use of explosives and chemicals posed health risks to children and senior citizens. Acting on these concerns, the High Court on September 5 directed the revenue department, deputy commissioner, Karnataka State Pollution Control Board and the mines and geology department to conduct a site inspection and submit a report.
Officials had earlier issued a notice dated November 22 for the inspection, but the visit was postponed to November 26 following a fresh notice issued at the last moment.
During the inspection, quarry activities had come to a halt. Villagers told officials that walls of several houses had developed cracks due to frequent blasting, cattle shed roofs had been damaged and the explosion noise was so intense that it caused ear discomfort and palpitations. Dust from the quarrying activity had been settling on houses, and cattle were reportedly panicking and breaking loose due to the blasts. Some families constructing new houses had stopped work midway due to fear of damage.
Four school buses travel daily on a road located barely a few metres away from the quarry, causing anxiety among parents. Paddy fields spread across several acres had turned barren over the last six months due to the impact of quarrying, and wells in the area were reportedly drying up. An Anganwadi centre located just half a kilometre away houses about 20 children, and blasting had caused cracks in the building as well, villagers said.
Disappointed by the lack of response to their repeated complaints to the local and district administration, residents Jayaanand, Vishwanath, Narayan, Jaarappa and Deekamma had approached the High Court.
On November 27, Madesh, geologist from the mines and geology department, Dakshina Kannada, gram panchayat development officer Praveen and Vikas Shetty, range forest officer from Bantwal division, visited the area and collected measurements of the houses and the quarry.
Panchayat president Devadas Kajekar told the media that no one had submitted written or oral complaints and that those involved had acted based on personal agreements. He said no objections were raised in the gram sabha and the panchayat could therefore not take any decision. “We tried to understand the issue but villagers did not respond. Sometimes they protest and later withdraw. No prior notice was issued for the survey, and we informed that we would not be able to attend,” he said.
Villagers, however, expressed displeasure at the panchayat president’s remarks, stating that on February 4, 2025, they had jointly submitted a complaint to the Badaga Kajeekaru gram panchayat against the illegal quarry operations. As no action followed, they were compelled to approach the High Court due to the lack of response from the local administration, they said.