BENGALURU: Kappatagudda Wildlife Sanctuary, which was recently notified by Yediyurappa government, is already facing untold pressure from mining companies for gold extraction in the protected area. Presently, scrutiny is on for an online application filed for wildlife clearance to carry out gold mining which will involve diversion of nearly 40 hectares of pristine forests, if permitted.
Ramgad Mineral & Mining Ltd had in fact, carried out gold prospecting as far back as 2001-03 and obtained mining license for 39.7 hectares region in May 2008. In this process, the company had opposed against the formation of either the conservation reserve or a sanctuary, as it said both will halt its ambition of gold mining in the verdant biodiversity rich forests. Further, the company claimed that mining area involved only the periphery of the forest.
As per forest officials, the mining area falls in the Shirahatti range of the sanctuary. As far as the processing of the application is concerned, Gadag officials said, the online application was received only a week back. The processing of the application may not take much time as studies and field inspection has already been done last year, they said.Kappatagudda was declared a sanctuary on May 16, this year under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 following protests from ecologists and religious mutts. Earlier, it had been declared as a conservation reserve which had been withdrawn and then re-notified.
The state government took the decision when it notified Kappatagudda as a sanctuary, recognising its ecological importance, said Praveen Bhargav of Wildlife First. “Permission for mining should be rejected as per Section 29 of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Although there are some precedents in India for land diversion in protected areas, but the same is not present for mining,” he added.
Former forest officials and retired PCCFs have called for rejection of application of gold mining in Kappatagudda. They say earlier, their applications were rejected and the High Court ave not entertained Baldota’s proposal for mining in these forests. He has been bringing pressure from every quarter to carry gold mining in Sahayadri of North Karnataka. It should be rejected outright as per existing guidelines and WPA.”
Chief Wildlife Warden Sanjai Mohan said, “Online applications filed for forest/wildlife clearances are sent from APCCF to the concerned DCF of the area. In any case, all procedures will follow and the application will be scrutinised on whether it is to be rejected or permitted. As per WPA, mining is not permitted in PA.”
Presently, the new sanctuary encompasses an area of 24,415.73 hectares across Gadak, Mundargi and Shirahatti taluks in Gadag district. The protected area has unique floral, faunal, geomorphological and ecological importance where its wildlife has to be protected and conserved, the 2019 sanctuary notification states.
