The Times of India July 19, 2000
Decision on mining lease to
KIOCL put off
BANGALORE: Chief Minister S.M. Krishna's meeting
with Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Limited (KIOCL) on
Tuesday to decide the fate of company remained
inconclusive, with the government postponing the decision
on renewal of the mining lease ``by a day or two".
Speaking to The Times of India, KIOCL Executive
Director (Personnel and Administration) K.V. Thyagarajan
said the company had explained its position and had
outlined the need for the renewal of the lease to Krishna.
``We have just asked for the existing mining area of
1,452.74 hectares of land, and about 100 hectares extra to
ensure safety measures against land slides,'' he stated.
Meanwhile, the environmentalists have appealed to the
CM in a letter, copies of which have been sent to the
Union Environment Minister T.R. Balu, to save the area
around the Kudremukh National Park. They have
suggested that the KIOCL should shift operations to
Sandur in Bellary district. ``The benefits would be more
since it would improve employment opportunities in the
North Karnataka area and it would help protect the
Kuremukh National Park and other tiger reserves in the
area,'' the letter from the Urban Research Centre says.
According to the environmentalists, the iron ore deposits in
Kudremukh are of ``very poor quality,'' consisting of only
38 per cent iron while in the Sandur deposits, there is 60
per cent iron in the ore. They also point out that with 7000
mm of annual rainfall in the area, mining is ``an extremely
dangerous operation'' and results in adverse impacts on a
thickly forested and riverine area.