'We have asked them to do a feasibility study on doing underground mining in those areas', director general, ICFRE Dehra Dun said.
In an interesting twist, the Indian Council for Forest Research and Education (ICFRE), on Saturday claimed that reports of the ICFRE recommending mining in the Western Ghats have been highly exaggerated and falsified.
“We have not recommended to the government that mining should be taken up in the Western Ghats. We have, however, asked them to do a feasibility study on doing underground mining in those areas,” said an exasperated Dr VK Bahuguna, director general, ICFRE Dehra Dun, at a press conference at the Institute of Wood Science and Technology (IWST).
He also suggested that the groups that have filed the writ petition in the apex court against the suggestions made by ICFRE in its macro-environmental impact assessment report to the Supreme Court are ill-informed.
“We are talking about bringing in technology that will make underground mining possible. It’s being done in Stockholm, Sweden and we want to know if it is feasible in the Western Ghats as well,” questioned Bahuguna. He also elaborated that if the study finds underground mining not feasible financially or otherwise, then it won’t be done.
Bahuguna also announced that an advanced centre for mining rehabilitation and reclamation has already been set up at the IWST that will deal in rehabilitation of the affected areas of Bellary, Tumkur, and Chitradurga.
“We have five scientists working on it and one IFS officer in charge of the operation. The centre will educate and train land owners who do not have the correct expertise on rehabilitation of land and re-building slopes and more. We will also be presenting a mining rehabilitation and reclamation model to the Supreme Court on January 20,” he said.
He added that rehabilitation of Bellary, Tumkur, and Chitradurga would cost approximately Rs14 -Rs15 crore.
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