Government to draw up mining guidelines after quarry incident: CM

The State government will soon convene a meeting to discuss the mining sector and frame a comprehensive guidelines for quarry operations following the stone quarry collapse in Hulukenahalli village in Tavarekere Hobli, on the outskirts of Bengaluru, that claimed seven lives, Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said on Thursday. 

Speaking to the media after visiting Rajarajeshwari Medical College and Hospital, where the bodies of the deceased have been kept and the injured are undergoing treatment, Mr. Shivakumar said strict action would be taken against those found to have violated safety norms and FIRs would be registered wherever required. 

He said the government would examine all reports related to the incident before deciding on further action. “We will check what violations have been committed and take whatever action is required under the law,” he said. 

Mr. Shivakumar said the government would formulate guidelines to regulate quarry operations and ensure similar incidents do not recur. “In future, quarries will have to function according to these guidelines. We will bring in rules for all quarries so that such incidents do not happen again,” he said.  

The Chief Minister said the State government would provide compensation to the victims’ families as per existing norms and added that the quarry owners had also been directed to provide separate compensation. 

Reacting to the incident, Home Minister Priyank Kharge said preliminary findings indicated a possible violation of the buffer zone, which would be investigated further.  

Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka blamed the State government for the quarry collapse, alleging that State government’s negligence had led to the deaths of seven workers. “The bodies were so badly mutilated that they could not be identified,” he said, after visiting the hospital.  Alleging that illegal quarrying was rampant, Mr. Ashoka claimed that quarry licences were being obtained in the names of politicians and further criticised the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, arguing that it had failed to monitor quarrying activities.

Meanwhile, Union Minister of Heavy Industries and Steel, H.D. Kumaraswamy, requested the State government to provide adequate compensation and emergency assistance to the bereaved families. 

Mr. Kumaraswamy said the State government should also direct the concerned departments to strictly enforce safety regulations in quarries and ensure constant monitoring. He said repeated quarry accidents across the State as seen previously at Shivamogga and Chikkaballapur, pointed to serious lapses in enforcement. He argued that no one was being held accountable despite such incidents occurring time and again.