Minister Murugesh Nirani dismisses charges of illegal quarrying around KRS dam
Bengaluru, Jul 11: Karnataka Mining and Geology Minister Murugesh Nirani on Sunday dismissed the allegation that illegal quarrying was continuing near Krishnaraja Sagar dam in Mandya district.
"There has been absolutely no illegal quarrying activity within the 15-km radius of KRS dam," he said in a statement.
His reaction came as the war of words over illegal quarrying around the dam intensified between Mandya independent MP Sumalatha Ambareesh and former chief minister and JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy.
The Minister said he had earlier visited the spot after receiving reports of illegal mining, convened a meeting with officials, including Mandya Deputy Commissioner, Superintendent of Police, MP and local MLA following complaints.
"The government has issued 38 mining leases in the 15-km radius of KRS dam and it was decided in the meeting to cancel all the leases for violating rules and operating without clearance from the ecological department," Nirani said.
Our senior officials had conducted a joint survey two days ago and denied illegal quarrying was going on in the past three months with documentary evidence," he said
Reacting to Sumalathas repeated charges that illegal quarrying was going on, he said officials had conducted a survey and submitted a report, with video and documentary evidence, which said no such activity was going on.
The Minister said if Sumalatha could produce any documents related to illegal mining, then the government will take action.
Nirani requested Kumaraswamy and Sumalatha to end the spat and said such mudslinging by politicians would spoil the atmosphere in the region and discourage investors from making investments, thereby affecting unemployed youth.
On Sunday, Sumalatha once again vowed to intensify her agitation, saying she has waged a war on illegal mining in and around the KRS Dam.
She also appealed to her supporters to tread on the path shown by her actor-turned-politician husband late Ambareesh.
Sumalatha alleged that the safety of the KRS dam is at stake due to the illegal mining around its area.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
