Cancel clearance given to NMDC-KIOM, urges SPS, JMM

In the wake of a show-cause notice issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) to the government-owned NMDC’s Kumaraswamy Iron Ore Mine (KIOM) for the alleged violation of the Environmental Act, the Samaj Parivarthan Samudaya (SPS) and the Janandolana Maha Maitri (JMM) have demanded that the Environmental Clearance issued to it be cancelled.

Addressing presspersons in Dharwad on Saturday, SPS founder-president S.R. Hiremath said that the MoEFCC had issued a four-page show-cause notice to the KIOM under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, for alleged violations, and it was perhaps the first time such an action had been initiated against a Union government enterprise.

SPS, JMM and other organisations have urged the Union government to immediately revoke the mine’s environmental clearance and to halt the operation of iron ore trucks through Narasapura and Ranjitpura villages in Sandur taluk, Ballari district, as it would be illegal, he said.

Mr. Hiremath also said that the organisations demand a reduction in the NMDC’s iron ore production to keep the total output from the four mining districts within a 20-million-metric-tonne limit as recommended by former Supreme Court Judge B. Sudershan Reddy.

Mr. Hiremath demanded that ₹30,000 crore be collected from mining companies as a penalty, and that the cess be utilised for environmental restoration and the development of the 484 mining-affected villages.

The organisations also demand the construction of a bypass road for the NMDC trucks at the company’s expense to prevent the movement of heavy vehicles through villages. “Strict action should be taken against mining companies in Chitradurga district as they were involved in serious violations,” he said.

Mr. Hiremath said that the organisations had already extended their support to the student protests demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in the wake of the NEET paper leak.