Mines & Geology Minister Achar Halappa Basappa told the Karnataka Assembly on Friday that the government is unable to utilise about Rs 19,000 crore funds meant for development of mining-ravaged districts, as the Supreme Court had not yet approved implementation of Comprehensive Environment Plan for Mining Impact Zone (CEPMIZ).
The minister spoke about the issue in response to a question by MLA Somashekar Reddy. The legislator pointed out that until now no funds were released to the mining-affected districts by the Karnataka Mining Environment Restoration Corporation (KMERC), a special purpose vehicle.
Based on the Supreme Court directions, the state government in 2014 constituted KMERC for implementation of the CEPMIZ. The government has already given an environmental plan to the Supreme Court. However, it is yet to be approved.
Until now, Rs 19,443 crore has been collected under CEPMIZ. However, these funds are locked as the monitoring committee and the state government cannot utilise it until the Supreme Court approved. The court has now said it will consider the constitution of a special bench to resolve this issue, the mines minister said.
Meanwhile, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister JC Madhuswamy said the government is expecting the court to hear its case by April 2022. "The state government is keen to resolve this issue and has engaged senior counsels. However, the hearing has not taken place until now. Every time, there is an adjournment," he said.
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