Karnataka Forest Min. halts Iron Ore Mining Lease in Devadari Hills
Bengaluru: In a significant jolt to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 100-day agenda to start mining iron ore in Devadari Hills of Sandur in Ballari, Karnataka’s Minister for Forests and Environment, Eshwar Khandre, on Saturday ordered a halt to the leasing of 401.5761 hectares for iron ore mining in the Devadari Hills.
This comes days after the Union Minister of Heavy Industries and Steel, H.D. Kumaraswamy had directed officials of Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Limited (KIOCL) to commence mining activities in the Devadari forest area.
Minister Khandre highlighted that KIOCL has previously failed to comply with the Centrally Empowered Committee (CEC) directives appointed by the Supreme Court regarding its mining activities in Kudremukh National Park, located in Mudigere taluk of Chikmagalur district. The company's inability to implement remedial measures for its past operations prompted the decision to halt new leases in the Devadari Hills.
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Environmentalists have raised concerns about the potential ecological impact of mining in the Sandur forests, fearing it could lead to the felling of approximately 99,000 trees. They argue that the mining activities would devastate local wildlife and communities, urging the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to suspend clearance for the Devadari mining project.
In response to these environmental concerns, Union Minister Kumaraswamy assured that there would be no deforestation. He noted that the state government had approved mining on over 404 hectares for the Devadari project in 2019, with subsequent approval from the Central Environment Department. Kumaraswamy emphasized that KIOCL would undertake compensatory afforestation, planting an alternative forest over 808 hectares at a cost of Rs 194 crore before beginning iron ore extraction. He stressed that the Devadari project aims to boost steel production and create jobs.
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BJP will form govt in Bengal with thumping majority: Nabin
Mirzapur (UP) (PTI): BJP president Nitin Nabin on Wednesday voiced confidence that his party will form the government in West Bengal with a "thumping majority".
Polling is underway for 142 constituencies in the second and final phase of the West Bengal assembly elections, covering key districts, including Kolkata, Howrah and North and South 24 Parganas.
The high-stakes contest is being seen as decisive for the ruling TMC's bid for a fourth consecutive term and the BJP's push to form its first government in the state. The first phase held on April 23 recorded a high voter turnout of over 93 per cent, reflecting intense electoral engagement.
Speaking to reporters in Mirzapur, Nabin said, "The BJP will form the government in Bengal. We are winning the elections with a massive majority."
Earlier in the day, the BJP chief visited the Vindhyavasini temple and offered prayers. The rituals were conducted by his priest Acharya Agastya Kumar Dwivedi.
On his first visit to the district after assuming office, Nabin was welcomed by party workers at several places. At the temple, he was received by city MLA Ratnakar Mishra and District Magistrate Pawan Kumar Gangwar, who felicitated him with a traditional 'angvastram'.
After offering prayers for about 10 minutes amid Vedic chants, Nabin held a meeting at a hotel with local MLAs, including Mishra, Majhwan MLA Suchismita Maurya and Madihan MLA Ramashankar Patel.
Patel said Nabin emphasised strengthening the organisation and asked public representatives to focus on serving people in their respective constituencies.
Several party leaders, including district president Lal Bahadur Saroj, district vice-president Gaurav Umar, municipal chairperson Shyam Sundar Kesari, women workers and senior officials, were present on the occasion.
Elaborate security arrangements were put in place by the district administration for the visit, with multiple officers of circle officer rank deployed, officials said.
