Bellary: Illegal Miners Plundering Diocese Property with Disdain
Press Release
Bellary, Feb 19:
A pained and disappointed Bishop of Bellary, Fr Henry D’Souza, has expressed his wish to bring to the notice of the people, the fact that the property of the Catholic Diocese of Bellary, located in survey No. 9 of Ramgad Village in Sandur taluk of the district, is being illegally and forcefully mined, and that the Church property is being looted by unauthorized encroachers.
Repeated pleas to the relevant government departments have failed to stop the loot, and illegal mining is being carried out with the supposed active support of the people in high offices of the government, he says.
“The property belongs to the Catholic Diocese of Bellary. These lands are located adjacent to each other and are encompassed by stone bunds. Four bungalows that are in a dilapidated condition exist in this land. The church personnel used to reside in these houses for over 70 years. The ownership of the lands can be traced to the existing revenue records that are about 100 years old” the Bishop states.
People apparently belonging to M/s Ranka International Pvt Ltd have been, since over a month, now and then, visiting the land at survey No 9 of Ramgad Village and have been illegally mining iron ore, duly transporting the ore so mined in transport vehicles. Upon questioning, they have been found to be extremely abusive and insulting. The encroachers have been claiming that they have the active support and backing of the people in the high offices of the present government. Unfortunately, the Bishop laments, there is not much support from the administration to protect the church property from the encroachers.
To make the situation worse, the company claims to have obtained a mining licence from the mines and geology department in respect of the said survey number, which stands in the name of, and is owned by, the Bishop of Bellary (The Catholic Diocese of Bellary), he says.
This is a grave injustice that is being done to the Church and it appears from the circumstances that the properties of the Church are not safe anymore, as they are found to be unlawfully encroached upon. “We seem to be soft targets for such unruly constituents, who, with the support of individuals in the government, have taken undue advantage of the situation here,” a disheartened Bishop comments.
While expressing his frustration over this situation, the Bishop of Bellary, through a press statement, has sought the intervention of the government to protect the lands of the Catholic community of Bellary, and to ensure that justice is done.