In a brazen case of environmental and legal violation, illegal laterite mining has been operating unchecked for more than three months in a village within the constituency of a sitting Karnataka minister. The activity, which provides a key raw material for cement factories, continued right under the noses of the police and the mines department in Belagavi district.
Raid Called an Eyewash by Locals
The illegal operation at Badas (Inam) village in the Belagavi Rural Assembly constituency, represented by Women and Child Welfare Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar, was only interrupted after a complaint from activist Rahul Siddappa Avanache. He raised the issue with District Minister Satish Jarkiholi and Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Roshan on Friday, leading to a raid on Saturday by officials from the mines & geology department.
However, local residents have dismissed the government action as a mere formality. They allege that the mining, halted briefly during the raid, resumed within hours. Crucially, no vehicles or equipment were seized, no mined material was confiscated, and no notice was served to the contractor involved. Instead, notices were issued to the poor farmers on whose land the illegal extraction occurred.
Contractor Exceeded Legal Limits
Investigations reveal a pattern of alleged violations by contractor Dastagir Walikar. While he had obtained permission in March 2025 to mine laterite on 12 acres in Badas village, with approval to extract 2.5 lakh metric tonnes, he is accused of extending operations far beyond the sanctioned area.
The contractor allegedly expanded to three unauthorized sites within the same village and another site in Morab, located in Khanapur taluk. This systematic overreach points to a large-scale illegal operation.
Official Response and Wider Network
Senior Geologist Bindan Patil, who led the raid, denied reports that mining had resumed. She stated that notices would be issued to landowners and that the contractor was warned. However, she declined to disclose the estimated quantity of illegally extracted minerals, citing an ongoing assessment.
Sources indicate that the illegally mined laterite is transported to cement factories in Kalaburagi and Andhra Pradesh, passing through 15 to 20 police station limits without any checks. Activist Avanache has demanded stringent action against the contractors and protection for farmers from exploitation.
This incident raises serious questions about accountability and enforcement, especially given the location of the illegal activity in a high-profile political constituency and the apparent failure of the raid to produce any concrete punitive measures against the alleged perpetrator.
