SHIVAMOGGA: Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah, who visited the Hunasodu blast site near Shivamogga on Wednesday, demanded an inquiry into illegal stone mining in Shivamogga district by a sitting judge of the High Court and said he will raise the issue during the Assembly session.Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and district in-charge minister K S Eshwarappa should take the responsibility for illegal stone mining in the district and the death of six people in the recent blast, he said. He demanded a compensation of Rs 5 lakh and more to the families of the deceased, besides registering a murder case against crusher owner Sudhakar.
Siddaramaiah said Sudhakar was running the crusher on a leased patta land at Kallaganguru and was given the C Form, or the licence, to run the crusher unit on April 12, 2019. Quoting the police, he said the supplier from Andhra Pradesh himself delivered the explosives to Sudhakar.
“Sudhakar had neither informed nor obtained licence from the police, revenue or mines and geology departments to bring the explosives. None of the official know how the explosives detonated. The police suspect that it may have occurred when the explosives were being transported to another location,” he said.
The truth will come out only if an inquiry is conducted by a sitting High Court judge. “The inquiry should reveal how many benami quarries are running in the district. If they were allowed during the Congress government, they too should be probed,” he said.
There are 97 crushers and 76 quarries as per official records. “Only 23 quarries have permission to carry out blasts, while others are doing it illegally. Is it possible for such activities to run without the notice of the CM and district in-charge minister? All those running illegal quarries belong to the ruling party,” he said.