Yeddy cabinet has not cleared mining in reserve forests, claims Acharya
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

Bangalore, Feb 22: Stung by the public criticism, especially from JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda over the B S Yeddyurappa regime’s recent cabinet decision, Karnataka’s home minister Dr V S Acharya has clarified that the BJP government in the state has ``not allowed mining in the reserved forest areas of Bellary, Shimoga and Mysore district’’

Dr Acharya, who is a close confidant of the chief minister B S Yeddyurappa, on Monday made it clear that the state cabinet’s decision on Saturday pertained to allowing ``mining in the 14 blocks of the three districts, subject to certain conditions.’’

But, he asserted that mining had been permitted ``only in de-reserved forest areas of three districts.’’

"Our government will never allow mining in reserve or other forest areas. We know the importance of green cover, environment and forests,’’he said.

He explained that the decision for issuing the denotification on dereserving the blocks was taken by the previous Congress-led S M Krishna government. Thenotification to ``de-reserve the 14 blocks in the reserve forests was issued in 2003.“

The then government had received 1,400 applications for mining operations and had taken the decision to dereserve the 14 blocks in the three districts.

However, the then Congress government’s decision was challenged in the Karnataka High Court. Later, the high court upheld the government’s decision, Dr Acharya said.

The cabinet has decided to permit mining on 11,620 sq km in three districts only after consultation with the Forest and Industries Department, the minister explained.

Mining has been permitted only for value addition and creation of jobs. The decision is in tune with the state’s mining policy, he added.

The government was committed for the exploitation of the mineral wealth and there was abundance of minerals in 14 blocks of three districts. Now, the Government would receive the royalty of Rs 110 per tonne of minerals against meagre Rs 22 earlier. 

Moily assailed for threatening Yeddy’s dismissal on Sonia’s green signal:

Meanwhile, at a separate news conference, Karnataka’s  Law and Parliamentary Affairs S Suresh Kumar sharply criticised Union Law Minister M Veerappa Moily for his alleged statement that the BJP Government in the State will be dismissed if Congress President Sonia Gandhi gave the green signal.

"He (Moily) has insulted the democracy and the people of Karnataka by making such a statement,’’ Suresh Kumar said and challenged the Centre to dare take any steps against the BJP government in the state.

Moily, who had served as the state’s chief minister and was a practicing lawyer, had apparently ``lost his mental balance and issued such as an undemocratic derogatory statement against the government,’’ the minister said.

The people of Karnataka have voted the BJP for five year rule and nobody has given right to Moily to destabilise the government, he said making it clear that the BJP knew how to retaliate and take care of itself and the government.

The union minister, while addressing Congress workers in his parliamentary constituency of Chickballapur last week, had criticised the functioning of the BJP Government in the state and had warned that it could have been dismissed anytime after the series of attacks against churches and places of worship belonging to Christians and other minorities.