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Farmers stage protest against proposed trial blast near KRS
Want expert committee to ascertain if the trial blasts are safe
Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) farmers staged a protest near the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) reservoir on Wednesday against the trial blast proposed closed to the dam.
The KRRS faction led by Badagalapura Nagendra said that the reservoir was the lifeline of millions of people in the downstream and it was imperative to ensure a blanket ban on all quarrying activities and blasting within a 20 km radius of the dam.
Farmers staging a demonstration raising concern over the safety of trial blasts near the KRS dam, on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit:
M.A. SRIRAM
Mr. Nagendra said though the district administration was carrying out the exercise to pave the way for the trial blast as directed by the High Court of Karnataka, the KRRS has urged the authorities to plead for additional time from the High Court.
“We have lot of doubts and uncertainties and as stakeholders they need to clarified before commencing the trial blast,” said Mr. Nagendra. Besides, who is to ascertain that the trial blast itself was safe and did not endanger the dam, he questioned.
Expert committee still not constituted
Citing from various documents, Mr. Nagendra said that the administrative machinery including the Cauvery Neeravari Nigam Ltd. was not competent to decide whether trial blast was safe or not and as per the Dam Safety Act, 2021, a committee of experts from various departments has to be constituted to give an opinion. As the expert committee has not been constituted, the authorities should plead for additional time, said Mr. Nagendra.
The High Court of Karnataka has banned all mining and allied activities including quarrying in a radius of 20 km from the KRS dam in view of the threat to its safety. But the government gave a commitment to carry out the trial blasts to ascertain if it jeopardised the safety of dam which is being opposed by the KRRS.
But a petition was filed before the High Court questioning the ban orders following which the government agreed for a trial blast.
Mr. Nagendra said that there are concerns that the results of the trial blast outcome could be used by the mining lobby to claim that there was no threat to the safety of the dam in their bid to get the mining ban lifted.
Another protest in favour of blast
Meanwhile, another group of farmers staged a demonstration urging the authorities to hold the trial blast and questioned whether one should reach any conclusion even before the exercise is conducted.
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Karnataka
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Mysore
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demonstration
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arable farming
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farms
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agriculture
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mining
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safety of citizens
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water
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environmental issues