BENGALURU: Three months after the Additional Chief Secretary, Urban Development Department, and Tahsildar of Anekal Taluk wrote to Deputy Commissioner of Bengaluru Urban to cancel the licences issued for mining and crushing activities in the Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) of Bannerghatta National Park (BNP), no action has been taken by the district administration.
Licences for mining and crushing activities in the ESZ were issued by the revenue department in 2010, even though the land had been handed over to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) a year earlier. A BBMP official said, “ACS Mahendra Jain wrote to DC Bengaluru Urban in August 2018. But no action has been taken.”
The Tahsildar of Anekal Taluk, who wrote a letter to Deputy Commissioner BM Vijay Shankar in September, asking for cancellation of the licences, said that the district administration issued licences to 11 stone quarries and six crushers in 2010 in Tamanayakanahalli. However, the 207 acres of land was handed over to BBMP by the district administration in 2009 itself. The Tahsildar’s letter stated: “The land has been handed over to BBMP in 2009 but it was found that there was no fencing done for the boundary of the land and it was found that the licence has been issued to about 11 mining and 6 crushing activities in the place that lie within the 10 Km radius of ESZ. Thus, action be taken and licence be cancelled immediately.”
A BBMP official said, “When we are the owners of the land, how can the Revenue Department (District Administration) issue licence for mining and crushing activity there? The same land was offered to the defence authorities for the exchange of land within Bengaluru for several proposed projects of the BBMP.”
Jain said, “We visited the place along with Defence officials earlier this year. But they turned down our offer to exchange the land due to the mining and crushing activity in the ESZ.”
In his letter to the DC written in August, Jain said, “The land of 207 acres 24 guntas has been handed over to BBMP in 2009 by Revenue Department and the same department has issued licence to mining and crushing activities in 2010, and no mentions about the licence being issued by the departments are seen in the transfer of the land. The land deal between Defence authority and BBMP was unsuccessful because of the mining in this ESZ. When checked with the Revenue Department, Forest Department, Police Department and Mining and Geological Department it was found that the licence was issued without approval. Thus the mining and crushing activity in the area be cancelled and no permission be given in the coming days.”
Vijay Shankar said that instructions have been given to officials to look into the matter. “However, the licence has been issued till 2020.” BBMP Commissioner N Manjunatha Prasad said, “I have no idea in this matter as we have not given permission for mining in this area.”