Speaking to reporters after holding a meeting with the officials of Mines and Geology and Forest departments in Vidhana Soudha, he said it will be made mandatory for every truck that carries iron ore to have a separate permit under the new system.
The Government has recently stopped issuing fresh export permits to curb illegal mining in the State.
“But for domestic consumption, ore transportation has been completely stopped. The officials have been directed to conduct surprise inspections to ensure that no truck moves out without permit. Besides, the deputy commissioners of Bellary, Chitradurga and Tumkur districts have been directed to send a status report on ore transportation,” he said.
Yeddyurappa denied allegations that iron ore was being transported illegally by railway wagons. He said the State Government is so keen on preserving the natural resource that it will not care losing revenue from the export of iron ore.
He also welcomed the Union Government’s decision to conduct a high-level probe into illegal mining in the country, stating that he would congratulate the Centre for acting on the issue.
After discussions with the Finance Department officials on implications of the proposed Goods and Services Tax (GST) on the State, Yeddyurappa said he will take a call on the new indirect tax regime once it takes the final shape.
Many states, including those ruled by the Congress, have rejected the GST in its original form. “Discussions on the new proposals put forth by the Centre are still on. Once the proposals take final shape, we will take a decision,” he said.
The Chief Minister said he has issued strict instructions to the Commercial Taxes Department to plug leaks in the revenue collection by acting firmly against illegal trade.
He also said he will review the performance of two Government departments every day to make the administration more effective.
Ore theft: Conditional interim bail granted
The High Court Circuit Bench (HCCB) Dharwad granted conditional interim bail to Adani Enterprises and Doddanavar brothers regarding the Belekeri ore theft case, on Monday, reports DHNS from Dharwad.
A single bench, headed by Justice Arali Nagaraj granted the conditional interim bail to the Adani and Doddanavar brothers which had sought anticipatory bail and asked them to submit Rs one lakh bond along with two surety.
He also instructed them to co-operate with the investigating officers and not to tamper records.
Justice Arali took the CID investigation officer to task for not assigning reason to reject the anticipatory bail.