BALLARI | March 28, 2017:

Jan Sangram Parishat has urged the State government to prepare plans for establishing infrastructure, including laying of conveyor belts, rail sidings and railway sub-lines, in the mining areas as per the directions of the Supreme Court.

Speaking to presspersons here on Monday, Shivakumar Malagi, member of the State committee of the parishat, said that a Supreme Court Bench, comprising Justices Ranjan Gogoi, Prafulla Pant and A.M. Khanwilkar, in a recent order on giving approval to the Comprehensive Environment Plan for the Mining Impact Zone (CEPMIZ) in Ballari, Tumakuru and Chitradurga, has underlined the need for the State government to accord priority for creation of infrastructure, including laying of conveyor belt system, rail sidings and railway sub-lines, before implementing other programmes chalked out in the CEPMIZ towards ameliorating and mitigating the impact of mining in these three districts through the Karnataka Mining Environment Restoration Corporation (KMERC), a Special Purpose Vehicle.

Under CPEMIZ, apart from developing infrastructure, KMERC has chalked out a detailed plan on improving public health, education, water supply and quality, transport and communication, agriculture and allied activities, drainage and sanitation, women and child welfare, forest, ecology and environment, strengthening of forest check-posts, skill development and tourism in the areas ravaged by mining activities in these three districts, making use of 10 % of the sale proceeds of iron ore set aside as per the directions of the Supreme Court.

(Source: http://www.thehindu.com/)