Mining Policy in India

Implementation challenges or Policy Loopholes? The dynamics of illegal stone quarrying in the state of Karnataka.

A few days back, a tragic explosion (illegal stock of explosives to use in an illegal quarry) happened in Karnataka in which five persons lost their lives, which has thrown light on rampant illegal quarrying in the state.

Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) report in 2019 identified 532 illegal quarries in one taluk (Chikkaballapur near Bangalore), with revenue implications of Rs 223.25 crore.

This is the story of an official number of one taluk.

Calculate it for one district, then to a state.

We are only calculating the losses due to tax evasion.

What about the social cost? What about the pollution?

Meanwhile, Karnataka Stone Crushers Act, passed in 2020, allows lessees to transfer crusher licenses and extend the license term of stone crushers from five to twenty years.

IISc Bangalore used Satellite imagery analysis to identify the illegal mining in one taluk.

We have ML, GIS, Satellite image analysis, and 3D technologies that can solve this social issue.

The window of opportunity for a Policy change is open in Karnataka.