CM orders officials to set up single-window system to resolve issues faced by mining lease companies
Bengaluru, Jul 27: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday directed officials to set up a single-window system to provide forest department clearances and address other issues related to mining lease companies.
He said at a high-level meeting that ministers and officials of the Mining and Geology, Revenue and Forest Departments should hold a meeting every month or once in every two months to provide forest clearance and solve the problems faced by them.
It was mentioned during the meeting that many applications were pending with the forest department and they could not be cleared because the mining lease companies did not carry out afforestation as mandated in the contract for want of an alternative land, a release put out by the Chief Minister's office said.
For this, there are farmers in Arsikere and some other parts of the state who are willing to sell their agricultural land due to damage caused by elephants and other wildlife. The Chief Minister suggested that these mining firms be enabled to purchase land and provide it for afforestation.
The Chief Minister was informed that an application has been submitted to the Government of India on 'PARIVESH' portal for permission to carry out mineral exploration in the state through the Centre-owned KIOCL Limited (formerly known as Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Limited), and Mineral Exploration and Consultancy Limited (MECL).
Siddaramaiah directed the officials of the Department of Mines and Geology to discuss with these mining lease companies to "rectify" the objections to their applications and get the clearances quickly.
Regarding the disposal of 2.7 million metric tonnes of iron ore, which was confiscated in the past for illegal mining and is currently lying in a forest area, the Chief Minister asked the officials to seek the opinion of legal experts.
He instructed the officials that a proposal to implement One Time Settlement (OTS) scheme to collect fines imposed on quarry contractors for violation of rules should be tabled in the cabinet meeting.
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Israel launches first airstrike on Lebanon since ceasefire, accusing Hezbollah of breaching truce
Beirut, Nov 28: The Israeli military on Thursday said its warplanes fired on southern Lebanon after detecting Hezbollah activity at a rocket storage facility, the first Israeli airstrike a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold.
There was no immediate word on casualties from Israel's aerial attack, which came hours after the Israeli military said it fired on people trying to return to certain areas in southern Lebanon. Israel said they were violating the ceasefire agreement, without providing details. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said two people were wounded.
The back-to-back incidents stirred unease about the agreement, brokered by the United States and France, which includes an initial two-month ceasefire in which Hezbollah members are to withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli forces are to return to their side of the border. The buffer zone would be patrolled by Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers.
On Thursday, the second day of a ceasefire after more than a year of bloody conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon's state news agency reported that Israeli fire targeted civilians in Markaba, close to the border, without providing further details. Israel said it fired artillery in three other locations near the border. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
An Associated Press reporter in northern Israel near the border heard Israeli drones buzzing overhead and the sound of artillery strikes from the Lebanese side.
The Israeli military said in a statement that “several suspects were identified arriving with vehicles to a number of areas in southern Lebanon, breaching the conditions of the ceasefire.” It said troops “opened fire toward them” and would “actively enforce violations of the ceasefire agreement.”
Israeli officials have said forces will be withdrawn gradually as it ensures that the agreement is being enforced. Israel has warned people not to return to areas where troops are deployed, and says it reserves the right to strike Hezbollah if it violates the terms of the truce.
A Lebanese military official said Lebanese troops would gradually deploy in the south as Israeli troops withdraw. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.
The ceasefire agreement announced late Tuesday ended 14 months of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that began a day after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack out of Gaza, when the Lebanese Hezbollah group began firing rockets, drones and missiles in solidarity.
Israel retaliated with airstrikes, and the conflict steadily intensified for nearly a year before boiling over into all-out war in mid-September. The war in Gaza is still raging with no end in sight.
More than 3,760 people were killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon during the conflict, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The fighting killed more than 70 people in Israel — over half of them civilians — as well as dozens of Israeli soldiers fighting in southern Lebanon.
Some 1.2 million people were displaced in Lebanon, and thousands began streaming back to their homes on Wednesday despite warnings from the Lebanese military and the Israeli army to stay out of certain areas. Some 50,000 people were displaced on the Israeli side, but few have returned and the communities near the northern border are still largely deserted.
In Menara, an Israeli community on the border with views into Lebanon, around three quarters of homes are damaged, some with collapsed roofs and burnt-out interiors. A few residents could be seen gathering their belongings on Thursday before leaving again.
