The cabinet chaired by Sadananda Gowda debated the report of the four-member high-level committee headed by Additional Chief Secretary K Jairaj and approved it.
MINING-CABINET
ZCZC PRI GEN NAT.BANGALOR MDS20 MINING-CABINET Karna cabinet accepts official committee report on mining Bangalore, Oct 28 (PTI)
Karnataka Cabinet today accepted the recommendations of the official committee entrusted with the task of suggesting action against 617 officials indicted by the Lok Ayukta report for their role in illegal mining.
The cabinet chaired by Chief Minister DV Sadananda Gowda debated the report of the four-member high-level committee headed by Additional Chief Secretary K Jairaj and approved it.
The committee has identified 447 officials of various departments for initiating action, Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs S Suresh Kumar told reporters here.
Of the 617 officials named in the Lok Ayukta report, 170 could not be traced and action has been taken against 182, he said, adding the remaining will also face action in due course as per law.
The committee has recommended strict disciplinary action against the then Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) in Bellary, Muthaiah, for alleged abuse of official power and causing pecuniary losses of Rs 13.53 crore to the state exchequer.
It also called for action against three IAS officials--KS Prabhakar, MV Shivalinga Murthy and Gangaram Baderia, who were the Directors of Mines and Geology.
Forest officers Srinivasulu, then DCF in Chitradurga, P Rajsekhar, DCF in Bellary and MK Shukla, who had served as DCF in Bellary, have also been named for action, Kumar said.
Besides criminal cases against indicted officials, the committee has recommended to the Government to entrust the probe into illegal mining to a competent agency, Kumar said.
Departments like Forest, Mines and Geology, Revenue, Transport and Commercial Tax have issued show cause notices to officials indicted, seeking their replies.
Cases would be filed against the identified officials in civil courts and law will be amended to facilitate recovery of five times the loss caused by them, he said.
The committee has recommended a slew of measures like forming a Special Investigation Team to check illegal mining, illegal transport of iron ore, tax evasion and exports.
It has recommended that the SIT should have inter-departmental representatives from Mines and Geology, Home, Commercial Tax, Forest and Revenue, Kumar said.
It also suggested creation of a single window agency to oversee issue of mining licence and permits, besides strengthening the Mines and Department office in Bellary, where one Deputy Director with a skeletal staff had the onerous task of maintaining vigil on more than 90 mines.
Then Lok Ayukta Santosh Hegde had submitted the final report on illegal mining on July 27 and the state set up the official committee to study the report on August 18.
The Sadananda Gowda government has sought clarification on the action recommended by Lok Ayukta against non-officials, the then Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa and some ministers.
Yeddyurappa, who was indicted in the report, was forced to step down by the BJP central leadership in July.
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