Mining-ravaged Sandur set to lose over 29,000 trees

Bengaluru: Restoration works have barely begun to trickle down to Sandur, the taluk most adversely affected by mining in Karnataka, and the Forest Department has received a new proposal to clear 29,400 trees to turn a 150-acre virgin forest in Ramanadurga range into an iron ore bowl.

The department began surveying the green patches north of Sandur to enumerate the trees last month, raising concerns among activists who have fought for nearly two decades against illegal mining and for the conservation of the remaining woodlands.

Documents accessed by DH showed that the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) and Visvesvaraya Iron and Steel Plant Limited (VISL) have proposed to take up mining in the area in a project presented to the Forest Department as an essential undertaking for the survival of the VISL.

A total of 29,400 trees have been enumerated in the 150-acre forest block which will be cleared once the proposal gets approval from the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change. The majority of the marked trees are native species and support a diverse fauna that have already endured the detrimental effects of mining in the surrounding areas.

Sandur-based activist Sreeshaila Aladahalli, a member of the NGO Samaja Parivartana Samudaya, said the shrinking greenery has not only hurt wildlife habitats recorded in the area (sloth bears, leopards, spotted deer, blackbucks, wolf, fox and others) but also affected people's health and well-being.

"We have seen largescale degradation of forests. Earlier, it was illegal mining. Now the destruction has been made legal. Why is the government trying to turn virgin forests into dust bowls instead of looking at areas that have already broken up," he asked.

Recently, the Karnataka Mining Environment Restoration Corporation approved four eco-restoration projects in Sandur taluk with a total outlay of Rs 135.71 crore. The works include planting of about 2 lakh saplings in the southern and northern zone of Sandur.

"They have felled fully grown trees and a decade later, they are spending more than Rs 100 crore to plant the saplings. We urge the government not to take up any project till these saplings grow into trees. Besides safeguarding flora and fauna, we need these last remaining patches of forests for clean air and water," he said.

Ballari Deputy Conservator of Forests Sandip H Suryawanshi said the project has been proposed for clearance from the department as per the rules. "We are yet to receive the detailed reports. All proposals will be reviewed as per the law before the ministry takes the decision," he said.