Stop 'hafta' culture in mining, Karnataka high court tells govt

The Karnataka high court on Tuesday gave four weeks’ times to the state government to submit its action plan to stop mining and quarrying in forest areas.

The court pulled up the government by saying that they start issuing orders for cancellation of  illegal mining leases in reserved forest areas only when hafta and ‘mahina’ payments from lease holders stop.

HC Prabhu of Kodagu district had filed a petition in the high court saying that on January 14, 2011, a senior geologist had passed an interim order to stop quarrying activity in Sige Hosur village of Kodagu district. The geologist said it violated article 6(2) of the Karnataka Mines and Minerals Concession Rules since it was being carried out in the reserve forest area.

Prabhu, who has been mining there since June 2008, contended that their activity   did not violate the act. Counsel for the petitioner advocates Satish M Doddamani and Chethan B argued that Prabhu was not carrying mining in reserved forest area. It was ‘paisary’ (revenue) land. The activity was carried out in 60 cents of land at Sige Hosur village from April 2008.

The division bench headed by chief justice JS Khehar and justice AS Bopanna asked the state government what they were doing to the state.

“You start issuing orders to stop quarrying activity only when you stop receiving hafta. We have to pass blanket orders to stop such illegal mining in the state’s reserved forests. What kind of department are you? Everything you are doing is from the back door,” they said.

The division bench then orally suggested that the government should examine all the leases individually to check on the illegal mining activity in the state.