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Days after Union Steel and Heavy Industries Minister H D Kumaraswamy gave the go-ahead for Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Limited (KIOCL) to mine iron ore in the Devadari forest in Karnataka’s Bellary district, environmentalist S R Hiremath has appealed to the governments at the Centre and in the state to withdraw the clearance.
“We are facing a climate emergency. In the past, illegal mining activities of unprecedented levels in Bellary district plundered natural resources, eventually leading to environment degradation, drinking water problems and health crises, among other issues. It is unfair to allow mining in the virgin forest region (Devadari in Sandur taluk), which environmentalists, civil society organisations and the Supreme Court have fought hard to protect from mining,” Hiremath told reporters. “I appeal to both the state and Central governments to revoke the approval given to KIOCL for mining. If not, we will have to move the Supreme Court to get justice.”
The file on KIOCL, which operates under the steel ministry, was the first that Kumaraswamy signed after assuming office.
For his part, Kumaraswamy sought to allay fears over the mining project in Devadari. “I did not sign off on forest destruction. The aim is to increase steel production in the state, create more jobs, and contribute to GDP growth in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat. Measures have been taken to protect the forest,” he told reporters after a meeting with Gunti Venkat Kiran, MD of KIOCL, and other senior officials on Tuesday.
He added, “It is being propagated that permission has been granted for mining in the Devadari forest area, creating some public concern. In 2019, the state government itself permitted mining in 404 hectares for the Devadari project. The Central Government’s environment department also granted permission. However, reports suggesting harm to the forest and 99,000 trees are exaggerated. Measures to prevent forest destruction are in place.”
Before starting iron ore extraction, KIOCL will develop alternative forests in 808 hectares at a cost of around Rs 194 crore and it has already paid the forest department, Kumaraswamy said, adding that precautionary measures had been taken to avoid disturbing wildlife.
The Devadari project is part of the prime minister’s 100-day programme. Kumaraswamy urged officials to work diligently and start mining operations as soon as possible.
During the meeting, the Union minister also discussed the revival of the Visvesvaraya Iron and Steel Plant in Bhadravati in Shivamogga district, which he said was a pride of Karnataka once.
The minister directed officials to focus on producing more value-added speciality steel to compete globally, particularly with China, Taiwan, and South Korea. He emphasised integrating the necessary technology for speciality steel production.
KIOCL, an iron-ore exporting company, plans to produce around 3 lakh tonnes in 2024-25. It had already secured statutory clearances from the Indian Bureau of Mines, the environment ministry and the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board in this regard. A mining lease has been executed with the state’s mines and geology department for extracting iron and manganese ore on 388 hectares of land for 50 years.
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