BENGALURU: Expressing serious concern over possible threat to the dam due to mining activities, the Karnataka High Court on Monday banned all forms of mining and quarrying activities within a 20 kms radius of Krishnaraja Sagar Reservoir (KRS) in Mandya district.
The ban will apply even on existing mining licenses or those already operated in the area given permission granted by the high court in an earlier round of litigations.
The court clarified that it had permitted mining within a 20 km radius in the earlier round of litigation, as the existence of the Dam Safety Act, 2021 and safety measures to be taken under it were not brought to the notice of the court.
A division bench of Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale and Justice Krishna S Dixit passed the interim order by taking suomotu cognisance of possible danger to the dam due to mining activities while hearing the petition filed by C G Kumar, a land owner from Chinakurali village of Pandavapura taluk of Mandya District.
The petitioner moved the court questioning the restriction imposed by the Deputy Commissioner of Mandya for the use of land for mining in May 2023.