The Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC) has asked the state government to retain senior officers involved in preparation and implementation of the reclamation and rehabilitation (R & R) plans in areas affected by illegal mining, thus preventing efforts by politicians to shunt these officers to insignificant posts.
Official sources told Deccan Chronicle that the CEC has directed chief secretary S V Ranganath not to shift any member of the monitoring committee— additional principal chief conservator of forests, Mr. Deepak Sharma, Dr. U.V. Singh, chief conservator of forests, Mr H. R. Srinivasa, director of mines and geology department, and Mr Aditya Amlan Biswas, deputy commissioner, Bellary—till the R & R plans are implemented in ore-rich districts of Bellary, Chitradurga and Tumkur. These plans are aimed at undoing the damage caused to the environment by illegal mining, and introduction of sustainable and scientific mining with the help of a whopping corpus of Rs 10,000 crore.
Besides, the CEC asked the state government to shift out range forest officers of Sandur and Hospet in Bellary district, and replace them with officers of integrity. The panel sought cancellation of the transfer order of KAS officer Mr Karee Gowda, now serving as convener of the monitoring committee. The CEC, however, has expressed disappointment over the pace with which the monitoring committee was drawing up the R&R plan.
In a report submitted to the apex court on August 16, the panel said “The CEC impressed upon the State of Karnataka to speed up the process of preparation of R&R plans as the present pace of progress is most disappointing. The State of the Karnataka has agreed to take urgent remedial measures”.