More mining projects, and laxer rules; is Karnataka being reckless?

The July 2024 killer landslides in Kerala and Karnataka are fresh in memory. Among the triggers, most stakeholders agreed, is rampant deforestation, which has loosened the top soil and left the Western Ghats vulnerable to landslides.

In this background, the 18th India State of Forest Report (SFR) 2023, presented in December 2024 by Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav, presents a paradox.

While a few states such as Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and Rajasthan have taken the trouble and increased their forest and tree cover, the situation in Karnataka has gone south. In the period from 2021 to 2023, the green cover in Karnataka, as also in Madhya Pradesh, Ladakh and Nagaland, has come down, according to the Environment Ministry report.

To top it all, Karnataka has been indiscriminately clearing mining and other 'development’ projects on the Western Ghats, levying taxes on mineral rights to generate funds at the cost of forest land.

Also read | Interactive: Why the Western Ghats are crying for protection

The final nail on the coffin landed on September 27, 2024, when the Siddaramaiah government, in a Cabinet decision, rejected a report on the Western Ghats prepared by a 10-member High-Level Working Group led by space scientist K Kasturirangan. Late last month, this decision was officially conveyed to the Centre.

According to the State of Forest Report 2023, the maximum increase in forest and tree cover has been observed in Chhattisgarh (683.62 sq km), followed by Uttar Pradesh (559.19 sq km), Odisha (558.57 sq km) and Rajasthan (394.46 sq km). The maximum decrease was seen in Madhya Pradesh (612.41 sq km), followed by Karnataka (459.36 sq km), Ladakh (159.26 sq km) and Nagaland (125.22 sq km).

Of the 1,600 km stretch of the Western Ghats, over 60 per cent falls in Karnataka.

Also read: Kappatagudda project: Why green activists are wary of Karnataka govt's moves

No to Kasturirangan report

In this situation, the state government's decision to reject the recommendations of the Kasturirangan Committee report — which suggests measures to protect the ecologically sensitive areas (ESAs) in the Western Ghats and prevent any further environmental degradation — appears incongruous.

According to HK Patil, Karnataka Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs, the decision followed ‘strong’ opposition from legislators representing constituencies in the 10 hilly districts of western Karnataka through which the Ghats pass.

The Kasturirangan report proposed to identify 37 per cent of the Western Ghats as ESAs. This would mean activities such as mining and quarrying would be prohibited on 20,668 sq km of the Ghats. Also, other developmental activities, such as large constructions and road building, would be curtailed.

The rejection of the report came after the government promised environmental activists it would go for a review.

Also read: Karnataka govt sticks to completely rejecting Kasturirangan report on Western Ghats

'Public's concerns'

Addressing the media at Kukke Subrahmanya in Dakshina Kannada district on December 24, state Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre said his government rejected the Kasturirangan report after taking into consideration the concerns and uncertainties of the public.

“The government rejected the report and clarified the stand of Karnataka government to the Union Ministry of Forest, Environment and Climate Change (MoEFCC) to protect the interest of forest dwellers," said Khandre.

Since the Kasturirangan report identified 123 villages as ESA, forest dwellers feared that all developmental projects would be stalled and they would be evicted from their land. This would create social chaos of unimaginable proportions, the minister claimed.

Green activists unhappy

Environmentalists are predictably unhappy with the Karnataka government for rejecting the Kasturirangan Committee report.

The National Committee for Protection of Natural Resources (NCPNR), Samaj Parivartana Samudaya (SPS) and Jana Sangrama Parishat (JSP), which have been fighting illegal mining in Karnataka, said the move would lead to further degradation of the Western Ghats, which is already facing serious threats following development and urbanisation projects together with agricultural expansion and livestock grazing.

Green activists say the state government is forgetting the unprecedented landslides in Belur, Mudigere, Chikkamagaluru and Kodagu in 2024, which were ostensibly triggered by irrational ‘development’ projects in the Ghats.

They accuse the cash-strapped Karnataka government of shunning the Kasturirangan Committee report to tap the mining sector to fill its coffers and implement development projects such as the controversial Sharavathy Pumped Storage Project.

A recent Supreme Court ruling gives the state government the leeway to levy taxes on mineral rights, which it appears to be keen to leverage.

Also read | States set to walk thin line between raising revenues and overburdening mining industry

Two key decisions

Apart from rejecting report findings that urge it to disallow industrial projects on Ghat sections, the Siddaramaiah government is actively increasing the scope of monetising the forest areas.

Faced with fiscal challenges, thanks to its election promises of 2023, the state government recently approved two measures that could fetch the exchequer at least ₹10,818 crore from the mining sector.

Number one, on December 6, the state cabinet approved the Karnataka (Mineral Rights and Mineral Bearing Land) Tax Bill, which allows the government to levy taxes on mineral rights with retrospective effect. This is estimated to fetch ₹4,713 crore. The government is also likely to get ₹6,105 crore from penalties from violators and ₹1,221 crore in the form of royalty.

It may be noted that the Supreme Court last year allowed states to collect taxes on mineral bearing land and mining rights with retrospective effect from April 1, 2005.

Other measures

Number two, the Karnataka government has decided to provide a One-Time Settlement (OTS) option to violators, especially those who mined beyond their licensed jurisdiction. “The government is eyeing over ₹6,105 crore of penalties under this head,” said HK Patil.

“The OTS option offers relief to who have engaged in illegal mining in Karnataka since 2005. It will also allow others to continue with illegal mining,” said a forest officer who spoke to The Federal on the condition of anonymity.

Sources in the government said Siddaramaiah has been pressuring officials to ensure that tax targets are met. In a recent meeting, the Chief Minister sought the cooperation of IAS, IPS, IRS and IFS officers for effective implementation of tax rules.

“The government is planning to levy new taxes on mineral bearing land, hike in royalty on minor minerals, following the Supreme Court directive as an attempt to fill the coffers and earning over Rs. 10.8 thousand crore from the mining decision was taken in the cabinet itself. The idea of the government to fetch the exchequer Rs. 10,818 crore from the mining sector” said a source in the government.

Plan for 24X7 mining

The state government has also blithely proposed the idea of permitting 24x7 mining operations in forest areas.

Further, it has amended the Forest Conservation Act to remove iron ore from the forest produce list, which allows it to be mined.

Forest officials reportedly tried to dissuade the government. They are said to have told Khandre that Karnataka cannot offer an exception to iron ore from the forest produce list, considering forest is on the Concurrent List. For instance, Orissa, which produces the highest quality of iron ore in the country, still has the mineral on the list of forest produce. "Even if we were to drop it, it has to be approved by the Centre by way of legislation," the forest officials reportedly told the Minister.

However, the Siddaramaiah government is going ahead with its move to bring iron mining out of the forest produce list.

Watch | Killer landslides recurring in Western Ghats; What's govt doing?

Projects that can cause harm

The forest officials also urged the government against clearing the projects of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) and Visvesvaraya Iron and Steel Limited (VISL), which have allegedly violated norms in their proposals for mining in 150 acres in Sandur forest.

Another controversial proposal is one to divert 48.2 hectares of forest land for mining in Tumakuru. Environmentalists have said it is detrimental to the Bukkapatna Chinkara Wildlife Sanctuary. If the proposal gets clearance, it will result in 17,206 trees getting felled, and affect the faunal diversity in the area, said wildlife conservationist Giridhar Kulkarni.

The Karnataka government is also pursuing the Sharavathi Pumped Storage Project despite the feared consequences on the fragile ecology of the Western Ghats.

Environmental activist Akhilesh Chippali told The Federal that the Karnataka government has to take the 18th SFR seriously. "We want Karnataka to relook its state's mining policies and development projects, besides reconsidering its decision to reject the Kasturirangan Committee," said Chippali.

'Report is biased'

The Federal sought to reach out to Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre, but did not elicit a response. However, sources in the state forest ministry dismissed the findings of the SFR and accused the Union Ministry of Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) of boosting the figures of some parts of the country, especially those that featured agro-forests and plantations.

According to senior forest officials, the report is based on a survey conducted till 2023. The Congress government came to power in May 2023 and the state government has since been making effort to protect the forest cover. It even refused to allow mining in the Devadaru and Sandur forest range, the said.

Permissions for mining were secured during the previous BJP tenure and they got the sanctions of the MOEF&CC. Attempts to implement 24x7 mining have already been deferred. The Forest Department is also reconsidering permissions given to various development projects sanctioned in Western Ghats area by the previous government, the senior officials told The Federal.

The Federal could also not elicit a response from Karnataka Minister of Mines and Geology SS Mallikarjun.