Experts believe the surge in illegal mining is due to vested interests of politicians
Acknowledging "large scale" illegal mining in various states, the government on Tuesday said this could lead to a nexus between criminal and anti-national elements, especially in naxal-affected areas.
The Central Bureau of Investigation on Saturday filed a chargesheet in a special court in the illegal mining case involving Obulapuram Mining Company owned by former Karnataka minister Gali Janardhana Reddy.
A deputy superintendent of police investigating illegal stone-mining was killed on Tuesday when a truck he signalled to stop in Haryana's Nuh district drove into him, officials said.
In a strong indictment of Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, state Lokayukta Justice Santosh N Hegde on Thursday said he has given 'substantive' and 'voluminous' evidence against him in the illegal mining scam which has cost the state exchequer Rs 1800 crore in a period of 14 months.
The Central Bureau of Investigation probing the alleged illegal mining and irregularities in allotment of leases to Obulapuram Mining Company, on Friday began questioning former Karnataka minister Gali Karunakara Reddy in connection with the case.
Goa Assembly's Public Accounts Committee is understood to have expressed fears that if illegal mining in the state is not curbed, even the legal mines in Goa will face closure, highly-placed sources said.
Two individuals have been arrested in connection with the death of a forest guard in Morena, Madhya Pradesh, who was killed during an operation targeting illegal sand mining. The incident has sparked a Supreme Court hearing and involves members of a political party.
Another interesting part of the report is the one on illegalities in M/s Janthakal Enterprises. It talks about Daya Nayak and H D Kumraswamy trying to exercise their clout and how iron ore was exported to Pakistan illegally.
Under attack over illegal mining issue in Gautam Budh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Monday said stern action was taken whenever such incident was reported in the state.
Former Karnataka Lokayukta N Santosh Hegde on Monday favoured handing over the probe into illegal mining in the state to the Central Bureau of Investigation, maintaining that the Obalapuram Mining Company owned by former minister G Janardhana Reddy indulged in such activity.
The Union home ministry wants state governments to take proactive action against illegal mining as it has become a national security threat. In a recent meeting with the states, the home ministry said that windfall profits from such mining of minerals and sand were being used by the mafia to aid extremist elements.
Everyday coal is illegally ferried on around 5000 bicycles out of the mines of Central Coalfield Limited in Giridih, Jharkhand but no seems to mind. Shahnawaz Akhtar reports
Bharat Coking Coal Ltd (BCCL) has suspended coal mining and dispatch operations at its ABOCP mine in Dhanbad since April 2, following a protest by local workers demanding full-time wages and benefits.
The Central Empowered Committee (CEC) appointed by the Supreme Court on environment and forest, in its preliminary report submitted to the apex court has confirmed that prima facie there was illegal mining beyond the limits of leased lands, in violation of the forest conservation act by Reddy's companies.
In a relief to former Karnataka chief minister H D Kumaraswamy, the high court on Thursday stated that he cannot be arrested in connection with the illegal mining scam. Justice B V Pinto while hearing a petition filed by Kumaraswamy challenging proceedings against him in the mining case, however, stated that the investigation would continue.
Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party leadership of patronising illegal mining in Karnataka, the Congress on Thursday demanded the resignation of Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa. With the state Lokayukta report indicting the state government over the issue, Congress spokesperson Shakeel Ahmed said, "Yeddyurappa must immediately resign from his post". "All these things are already in the public domain but now the Lokayukta has indicted the chief minister," he said.
Lokayukta sources said much of the findings are already in the public domain as the report was leaked.
The mining scam had first rocked Karnataka and now Goa. While the mess in Karnataka is well known, the scenario in Goa is no different. The Central Empowered Committee in its interim report on illegal mining in Goa has found various illegalities in its detailed report, a copy of which is with Rediff.com.
Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamat on Thursday said that the officials from state mines and geology department protecting illegal mines, will be dealt with stern punishment.
Eight workers, mostly from Bihar, were killed after a massive granite rock collapsed at a stone quarry in Bengaluru South Taluk. The incident, which occurred at Madapattana, has led to allegations of illegal quarrying and negligence, with an MLA claiming police, forest, and mining department officials are involved. Chief Minister D K Shivakumar expressed grief and vowed action against violators, while rescue operations continue amidst fears of a rising death toll.
Besides Yadav, the CBI is likely to question Gayatri Prajapati, who was arrested in 2017 following a complaint of rape by a woman residing in Chitrakoot.
The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday alleged that Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader and Tamil Nadu Higher Education Minister K Ponmudy issued "illegal" red sand mining licenses to his MP son, relatives and some benami holders, and that huge amount of "hawala" funds generated from this mining business was used to purchase companies abroad.
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a plea from Uttar Pradesh police challenging a Bombay High Court ruling that absolved BrahMos Aerospace engineer Nishant Agarwal of major espionage charges under the Official Secrets Act. Agarwal was previously sentenced to life imprisonment by a Nagpur district court for spying for Pakistan's ISI, despite the High Court finding he only illegally stored sensitive data.
The Central Bureau of Investigation filed its first information report (FIR) against former Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa on Tuesday in the illegal mining case.
The CEC gave its latest report to the Supreme Court on Thursday.
The ongoing probe into illegal mining in Karnataka have revealed some startling facts, including the fact that transportation of ore has gone up two folds after the ban on it was imposed.
Karnataka Governor H R Bhardwaj on Thursday again turned the heat on the Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state, accusing it of inaction on the Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee's report on illegal mining.
The tragedy highlights the dangers of unregulated mining operations in the region. Rescue efforts continued as families mourned the loss, and authorities worked to locate missing miners amid the disaster.
A CBI team arrived in the mining town on Thursday morning and began inquiries. The CBI inquiry comes after complaints that the Reddy-owned Obalipuram Mining Company was undertaking operations illegally in Bellary.
An NDRF team is deployed to rescue miners allegedly trapped in an abandoned coal mine in Dhanbad, Jharkhand, but operations are delayed as the exact location remains unidentified. Officials claim no signs of an incident have been found, while local residents and politicians allege a mine collapse during illegal mining activities.
A special Central Bureau of Investigation court on Friday dismissed the bail pleas of former Karnataka Minister Gali Janardhana Reddy and his brother-in-law B V Srinivas Reddy, arrested in connection with alleged illegal mining activities.
Former Karnataka minister and mining baron Gali Janardhan Reddy and six others were Monday charge sheeted by the Central Bureau of Investigation in a court in Bangalore in connection with alleged illegal mining of iron ore which caused a loss of Rs 198 crore to the exchequer.
Illegal mining has been a hot debating point for the past couple of years. In Karnataka especially, the scam is of such magnitude that many powerful persons have had their heads on the chopping block and in the months to come there will be many more to follow. In this two-part series, we take a close look at this dirty scam, which spreads across various parts of the country, especially at Goa and also Rajasthan
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has implemented a revised Standard Operating Procedure (SoP) for its personnel in Manipur, mandating the use of bulletproof vehicles and restricting stray movements, following recent ambushes on Assam Rifles troops. Concurrently, two elite CoBRA battalions have been deployed to conduct operations against armed miscreants, aiming to strengthen security and restore peace in the violence-hit state.
Goa Leader of Opposition Manohar Parrikar on Wednesday told the state legislative assembly that it can be 'inferred' that Chief Minister Digambar Kamat might have been involved in illegal mining activities.
At least 16 labourers were killed and several others are feared trapped following an explosion at an illegal coal mine in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills district. Rescue operations are underway.
The Enforcement Directorate has attached assets worth 159 crore in connection with a money laundering investigation related to illegal coal mining in West Bengal. The case involves alleged pilferage and implicates various entities, including the political consultancy firm I-PAC.
The Karnataka cabinet has raised certain questions regarding the Lokayukta report on illegal mining. The cabinet is supposed to file an action take report before the Lokayukta.
The Karnataka government would abide by the Supreme Court decision on the recommendation of Central Empowered Committee to extend Central Bureau of Investigation probe into illegal mining in the state, Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda said on Friday.
