What the mining report means to the people of Bellary

These days, when someone says mining, the mind automatically goes to Bellary district in Karnataka. But ahead of the much-awaited report on illegal mining, Bellary, the district from where the scam broke out, looks unaffected. On the surface, that is. Vicky Nanjappa reports.

"Our problems are not going to be solved by a report; what we need is political change," said Kumar, a Bellary resident.

Kumar says that ahead of the mining report, there has been no activity in this mining district.

"Mining has become a way of life here, for many. Prior to 1999 (before the mining boom) a lot was dependant on agriculture. Most of these people worked hard for a living, but after the boom, many found a way to make easy money," he says.

"Every third person has encroached upon some forest land and is mining in his own way in Bellary. It would be hard for them to go back to agriculture and work hard," he points out.

He says that the people feel that someone not from the mining community should be elected in Bellary.

But Bellary's real evils are child labour and poverty. Bellary continues to be a case of 'rich land and poor people'. A 2005 report by the Karnataka Human Development Report ranked Bellary the lowest when it came to literacy, health and drinking water.

Although the district ranks 9th in terms of income, it does not mean that this money reaches the poor, since the wealth is never distributed evenly, according to this report.

The downtrodden in this town are in a dilemma today. On one hand, they want the mess to be cleared up, and on the other, even if it is they wonder what they will do. The last thing they want happening is them losing their employment.

Kumar says that they would expect the government to rehabilitate them and give them employment.

"There is a national awareness regarding mining and the manner in which the Supreme Court is monitoring this issue, it appears that there will be action sooner or later. The committee set up by the SC has been surveying the area to find out the extent of encroachment into forest lands to mine illegally," he says.

"The situation does not look good for those who mine illegally. Out of the 45-odd mines that have been surveyed, it has been found that only 6 undertake their business as per the norms. People feel that over the next few months more mines will shut down, and to a large extent, it does worry them, since it is a matter of their employment," he adds.

Kumar says that while the people of Bellary are insecure, there is also awareness.

"The people are being told that such a change will only prove to be a temporary problem, but in the long run it will prove to be good for the district, and their employment options will be wider and more importantly, healthier," he says.

The people are also being told that if mining stops, then it would improve their health.

"Today the people face various ailments such as cancer, infections etc and this is all because of the mining, and the resulting dust," he says.

"Karnataka Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde too had pointed out that working in Bellary for four days can give skin infection because of the dust kicked up by the trucks. In addition to this, there are accidents due to rash driving by these trucks and nearly 500 people have died in the past five years due to this," he points out.

The leaders are however singing a different tune. They say way too much is being made out of the mining issue, and the real picture is not as bad as it looks.

State Health Minister Sriramulu, who is a close aide of the Reddy brothers, has nothing against the report on illegal mining.

He says that it should be made public and also acted upon. He however chose to make a bigger issue out of the phone tapping issue, which has become a central point of debate ever since Hegde spoke about it.