Gundlupet: Chamarajanagar District Minister V. Somanna visited the Madahalli stone quarry site this morning and inspected the relief and rescue operations.
He was accompanied by Gundlupet MLA C.S. Niranjan Kumar, Deputy Commissioner (DC) Charulata Somal, Superintendent of Police (SP) T.P. Shivakumar and other officials from the Department of Mines and Geology.
Taking the Deputy Director of Mines Nagabhushan and other officials of the Department to task, the Minister questioned how a miner could carry out excavations up to 150 feet below earth.
The Minister was told that the owner of the quarry had obtained a licence from the Government and had sub-leased the same to another person.
Questioning the officer as to why action was not taken on the quarry owner for sub-leasing the quarry site, Somanna lashed out at the officer and said that inaction on the Department’s part had led to the tragedy. He then directed the Joint Director of the Department, who had come from Bengaluru, to initiate stern action against violation.
Somanna said that prima facie, it looked like a quarry where all Govt. rules and regulations were thrown into the wind. Villagers who came to the spot alleged that the quarry operations were being carried out in four acres of land while permission was sanctioned only for one acre.
Sad that it takes a tragedy for minister to visit and’realize’ that there is corruption, all just lip service for media management. They’re must be numerous agencies who are suspected to inspect regularly. What about them.
“Villagers who came to the spot alleged that the quarry operations were being carried out in four acres of land while permission was sanctioned only for one acre”
This cannot happen without the knowledge of this minisiter, who should have been corrupt to the core, and simply transfers the blame on officials.
This is the situation in India after 70+ years of independence. Corrupt politicians, corrupt officials, corrupt institutions and corrupt society. Third world cesspit.