A fresh question mark has come to hang over the proposal to conduct trial blasts in the vicinity of KRS reservoir to ascertain the impact of quarrying on the dam in wake of the government’s move to permanently ban stone quarrying around the reservoir.
Minister for Youth Empowerment and Sports K.C. Narayana Gowda, who held a meeting of district administration officials on the issue on Monday, wondered if the trial blasts were necessary when the government was planning to altogether ban quarrying around the reservoir permanently.
Sharing his concern over an element of risk involved in the process, Mr. Gowda said the matter will be reviewed during his discussions with Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa and the Ministers concerned.
Mr. Gowda’s statement also comes in the wake of the opposition from farmers’ organisations, which had launched an agitation when the trial blasts were first proposed more than two years ago.
Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) leader Badagalapura Nagendra said the trial blasts too posed a threat to the dam. Even though the authorities are trying assure the people that they will not permit ‘mega’ blasts during the trial, Mr. Nagendra said there was no need for the exercise when the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC), a government agency, had itself recommended ban on quarrying in the vicinity of the dam after reporting tremors. Holding trial blasts will only add to the confusion, he added.
Farmers’ leader from Mandya Kempu Gowda too had opposed the proposal to hold trial blasts. “There is no need. The government should permanently ban quarrying in a radius of 20 kms from the KRS reservoir”, he said.
It may be recalled here that the Irrigation Department has commissioned Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research (CIMFR), a CISR institute based in Dhanbad, to conduct trial blasts as part of an exercise to ascertain the impact of quarrying on the reservoir.
The Irrigation Department officials said the State government has already paid the stipulated fees to CIMFR for the trial blasts, which had been put off due to the second wave of COVID-19. The scheduled visit of an expert team from CIMFR was postponed about two months ago when the second wave of COVID-19 began spreading in the country, an official said.
Meanwhile, another section of farmers’ representatives including Kurubur Shanthakumar and Sunanda Jayaram, however, said they did not foresee any harm in carrying out a ‘scientific’ and ‘controlled’ exercise to ascertain the impact of quarrying on the dam. But, they also favoured a ban on quarrying in the vicinity of KRS reservoir.
