Bad days of illegal mining are over, say miners in Bellary

Although not conspicuous in their celebration, traditional mining families haling from Bellary, Hospet, Sandur areas (BHS) ‘happy' that the ‘bad days of illegal mining are over,' said some of the prominent mining family member from the region.

These mining families were in the region for the last 80 years and have been mining sustainably following all set norms, said one of the senior miners from the region.

Prominent mining families of the region are the Ghorpades of Sandur Manganese and Iron Ores in Sandur.

The Baldotas of MSPL in Hospet and VS Lad & Sons of Hospet, Poddars' Mineral Enterprises in Chitradurga/Tumkur region, S K Modis Bellary Iron Ores Pvt Ltd (BIOP), GR Gaviappa and family, Bellary Wahab's Hothur Group and Kariganur Mineral mining industry of Bellary.

These mining families were initially dependent on rolled down ore at the foot hills of Bellary hillocks and later recognising their expertise in handling iron ore were given mining licences after Independence.

It was these families that were into iron ore exports. The industry attracted the new breed of miners from 2003 when the ore prices started to move up it, when mining became a profitable venture.

Many old families who had mine leases in and around BHS had ceased mining activity due to unsustainable prices before 2003. Several leases expired.

“Looking at this, many people in the periphery got tempted and went behind the defunct mining companies,” said Mr D V Pichamuthu, Director, Federation of Indian Mineral Industries (FIMI). The Government took lot of time to identify defunct mines or revoked their lapsed mining leases, he added.

He said that new breed of miners like the Reddy brothers, jumped into the fray when China boom loomed large. The Karnataka Lokayukta in its report had indicted the Reddys for raising contracts and encouraging illegal mining.

The whole mess in BHS region could have been avoided if the government had woken up and reallocated the mines in a scientific manner, Mr Pichamuthu said.

Another mine owner from Bellary said the arrest of Mr Janardhan Reddy, “the mining industry had reached a depth and now the image should improve. Transparency has set in by way of e-permit from Commercial Tax and Transport Department but e-permits from forest department is pending,” he said.