The extraction of bauxite and aluminous laterite ore in two talukas of Belagavi district has come under the scanner of the Karnataka Lokayukta, with a detailed complaint highlighting alleged violations that could also have environmental implications for neighbouring Goa.
Activists Rajkumar Topannavar and Sujit Mulgund have submitted a complaint to the Lokayukta Superintendent of Police in Belagavi, alleging extraction worth thousands of crores in Belagavi and Khanapur talukas.
The complaint specifically flags extraction on government land in Belgundi village, pointing to large-scale violations of regulations, environmental norms and due procedures.
Significantly, the complaint also includes those linked to the Indian Bureau of Mines’ Regional Office in Goa, alleging negligence, lack of oversight and possible collusion in allowing the extraction to continue unchecked.
The issue is further complicated by what has been described as an inter-state network spanning Karnataka and Maharashtra.
The complainants have raised concerns over the alleged role of officials in Chandgad taluka of Maharashtra, where transport permits are reportedly being issued for mineral stockpiled at Savalli village without verifying its origin”effectively enabling the movement and legitimisation of the extraction.
With Goa sharing close ecological and hydrological links with the affected belt, particularly through the Western Ghats and river systems like Tillari, the developments are likely to raise alarm among environmental stakeholders in Goa.
The complainants have alleged that despite ongoing activities, authorities have failed to take effective action, resulting in significant loss of government revenue and extensive environmental degradation, including damage to natural landscapes, depletion of groundwater and adverse effects on agriculture and livelihoods.
They have urged the Lokayukta to initiate a comprehensive probe into those involved in the extraction, to examine the role of officials named in the complaint, and investigate the entire inter-state network.
