Now Reading: Centre seeks action against officers over Kaiga mining in tiger reserve ESZ
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Centre seeks action against officers over Kaiga mining in tiger reserve ESZ
Centre seeks action against officers over Kaiga mining in tiger reserve ESZ
The central government has asked the Karnataka government to take disciplinary action against officers who allowed mining inside the eco-sensitive zone of the Kali Tiger Reserve near the Kaiga nuclear power plant.…
The central government has asked the Karnataka government to take disciplinary action against officers who allowed mining inside the eco-sensitive zone of the Kali Tiger Reserve near the Kaiga nuclear power plant. The issue dates back to 1999, when the Nuclear Power Corporation of India required stone aggregates for the 2X700MW reactors at Kaiga. A committee had recommended the action, finding violations of environmental norms.
The mining took place in an area that was later designated as part of the tiger reserve's eco-sensitive zone under the Environment Protection Act. The state government has been directed to file a compliance report. The Karnataka forest department will now need to initiate proceedings against the concerned officials under relevant service rules.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The 1999 linkage between the Kaiga nuclear project and mining inside a protected tiger corridor creates a unique conflict between two national priorities: energy security and biodiversity. The committee had to decide whether the MoEFCC's own 2022 ESZ notification, which banned new mining in such zones, applies retrospectively to a 25-year-old approval. The outcome hinges on whether the National Board for Wildlife or the Supreme Court's 2012 ESZ framework takes precedence. Karnataka has already lost similar battles over mining in the Kudremukh and Western Ghats areas. The CEC's next report, due before the National Green Tribunal, will determine if the officers face departmental action or if the mining licence is reopened.
Source: deccanherald.com
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
