Court asked to extend mining ban in Karnataka

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court Friday issued notice to the Karnataka government and private miners on the report of a court-appointed panel seeking suspension of mining activities in the state's Chitradurga and Tumkur districts.The apex court's forest bench of Chief Justice S.H. Kapadia, Justice Aftab Alam and Justice Swatanter Kumar issued the notice after the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) on environmental matters, in its report, said the July 29, 2011 order suspending mining activities in the state's Bellary district be extended to Chitradurga and Tumkur.The court has posted the matter for interim order on next Friday. In its report, the CEC said the level of illegality and environmental degradation caused in Chitradurga and Tumkur was in no way less than what had taken place in Bellary district.The report follows the apex court order asking it to carry out Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in Chitradurga and Tumkur districts.The CEC in its report has drawn the attention of the court to the large scale mining in Chitradurga and Tumkur districts and the consequent environmental degradation. The report said that mining activity was being carried out in the two districts without keeping in view the principle of inter-generational equity.