KIOCL must pay Rs 1349 cr penalty, handover 3297 acre land: Eshwar Khandre

Bengaluru: Days after Union minister H D Kumaraswamy accused the Karnataka government of stalling a mining project by KIOCL, Forest Ecology and Environment Minister Eshwar B Khandre said any decision to provide forest land for mining will follow only after the KIOCL pays the long-pending penalty of Rs 1349 crore along with 3297.2 acre of land for the violations it has committed in Kudremukh wildlife sanctuary.

At a press conference on Wednesday, the forest minister said the Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Limited (KIOCL) can't expect the department to clear its proposal without paying the penalty pending for decades.

"The penalty with interest and compensatory afforestation charges has now reached Rs 1349.52 crore. In addition, the Central Empowered Committee (appointed by the Supreme Court) has directed the company to ensure mutation of 1334.33 hectare (3297.2 acre) of land in favour of the forest department. We have been writing letters to them about the delay in making the payment and land transaction but have not received a positive reply," Khandre said.

On September 11, 2023, DH had reported on the KIOCl writing to the forest department for ex-post facto approval for its violation in the Kudremukh sanctuary. Among the violations was the illegal raising of the height of Lakya dam in Chikkamagaluru's Kalasa Taluk, which illegally submerged about 700 acres of forest.

Union Minister for Heavy Industries H D Kumaraswamy had blamed the forest department for delaying the mining in the Devadari forest of Sandur in Ballari. He had also claimed that the KIOCL had paid Rs 500 crore for compensatory afforestation for the Devadari mining.

Khandre said contrary to Kuamraswamy's allegations, KIOCL has only paid about Rs 190 crore towards the mandatory compensatory afforestation. "However, this has nothing to do with the payment of the penalty. Clearing the pending payment and land transaction is a prerequisite for consideration of the Devadari project," he said.

The Devadari project has run into a controversy with conservationists opposing the idea of destroying a 992 acres of virgin forest and progressive felling of 99,000 trees. The state government had given approval for the project though the Forest Department had recommended that mining in the virgin forest should not be considered.