FIR registered against former Minister & BJP MLA Munirathna for using explosives for quarrying
Bengaluru (PTI): Former Karnataka Minister and BJP MLA Munirathna has been booked under the Explosives Act and Karnataka Land Revenue Act along with three others for carrying out blasts to mine stones in a quarry at Hunasamaranahalli.
Based on a complaint by the Yelahanka Tehsildar Anil Arolikar, the Chikkajala police registered a case against Munirathna, Anandan, Ganesh V and Radhamma.
The FIR said the Jai Bhim Sene had requested the Tehsildar to stop the ‘illegal’ mining activities. The villagers, too, had staged a demonstration against the usage of explosives for quarrying.
Following the complaint, a field survey was carried out, where it was found that explosives were used for quarrying. These activities were damaging earth in that region, according to the FIR.
The sale of stones was also resulting in loss to the state government. The investigation also revealed that those mining the quarry did not have any permission from the competent authority, the FIR said.
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Railway lines as fence could cut cost of barricading to curb man-elephant conflicts: MP Wadiyar
Bengaluru, Sept 17: MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar has suggested that to bring down the exorbitant cost barricading – estimated to cost around Rs 1.3 to Rs 1.5 crore per kilometre – railway lines could be used to construct fences on Tuesday.
Wadiyar took to X to share the letter he had sent to Union Environment Forest & Climate Change Minister Bhupendra Yadav.
Stating that “railway (lines) barricading” is proving to be an effective way to restrict the movement of elephants, he suggested that this should be taken up on a large scale.
“Upon consultation with the relevant authorities, it has come to my understanding that the cost of barricading per kilometre comes to Rs 1.3 crore to Rs 1.5 crore. Given that the border of the forests in my constituency stretches to over 400 km, with around 280 km of forest border requiring immediate barricading, the cost of such an exercise will reach Rs 350 crore to Rs 400 crore,” he wrote in his letter.
He said the environment ministry could make a direct request with the railway ministry for an allocation of railway lines, thus reducing the cost of the project to just that of labour cost.
“The benefits of this initiative are manifold, from reduction of human casualties, protection of property and livelihood, to conservation of elephants and, most importantly, promoting human-elephant coexistence, which is the need of the hour,” he added.
Working towards safer coexistence in Mysore-Kodagu! Submitted proposal to Union Environment Forest & Climate change Minister Shri Bhupendra Yadav Ji for railway barricading to reduce elephant-human conflicts. pic.twitter.com/VjOWIF1TTC
— Yaduveer Wadiyar (@yaduveerwadiyar) September 17, 2024
