Mining Woes

By N D Shiva Kumar

C h i k k a n aya k a n a h a l l i (Tumkur): Residents of Chikkanayakanahalli in Tumkur district, who are fighting the adverse impact of mining in their area, are a practical lot. They do not expect mining to stop but want miners to take measures to minimize negative impact, besides compensating their losses.

Tumkur is known for iron ore, manganese and limestone mining . Mining also takes place in dolomite, soap stone, quartz, gold, china clay and corundum.

Here, iron ore extraction is being done on 7,204.2 hectares of land, manganese on 1,678.18 hectares and limestone on 1,300 hectares.

Mining in Chikkanayakanahalli , a hotbed in the district, has polluted water sources, destroyed crops, damaged roads, caused health problems to people and cattle in the villages around Abbige hills. The most affected are the residents of Abbigegudda, Soppinagudda, Jogihalli, Honnebagi , Gollarahalli, Bullenahalli , Manjekattee and surrounding villages in the taluk.

Improper utilization of the Rs 7.5 crore development fund has enraged people further. In the past couple of years, a committee had collected ‘development fee’ from mine owners to improve areas affected by mining.

Another factor, which has enraged residents, is the employment of workers from outside the state for mining work. “Why can’t they provide jobs to locals?” asked Mohan Kumar H M of Honnebagi. The frustration of these people led to a protest on July 24, 2008 as around 2,000 people trooped into the mining area at Abbigegudda (hills). Destruction of equipment at the mining site has made them face police fury.

However, the villagers deny setting the equipment ablaze, but maintain that it was done by the mining lobby to curb people’s movement against mining. The men in the village fled from their villages and took shelter elsewhere for 20 days.

They returned home only after several writers and film-makers led by Jnanpith awardee U R Ananthmurthy lent support to them and Karnataka State Human Rights Commission intervened . “If not for them, we would have been harassed,” said Suresh B M, a resident of Gullenahalli.

What is the solution?

The locals demand employment and want mine owners to adopt villages and develop them by providing drinking water, roads and other basic infrastructure. They also demand compensation for crop loss. “If they can’t do this, let them rehabilitate us at an appropriate place,” said Nataraj of Jogihalli.

The mining lobby has not even spared God at Abbige hills in Chikkanayakanahalli. The people in the taluk wanted miners to stay 2 km away from the Lord Abbige Malleshwara temple atop the hill. As it was being violated and records were allegedly fabricated to prove that the temple was built in recent years, an advocate, Ramesh Babu from Chikkanayakanahalli, filed a petition before the high court in 2007. The court directed the deputy commissioner to look into the issue. As nothing was done, Babu has filed a contempt petition now.

“The temple is many centuries old. It is the deity of the people here. It should be protected at any cost,” said Nanjundaiah of Jogihalli.

shiva.kumar@timesgroup .com

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