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Mining scam: A nexus between blood and iron

Drowned among the many scandals that emerged last year were the mining scandals that erupted in at least five states; there were more than 20,000 complaints of illegal mining filed nationally.

At the forefront of the mining scandal were the Reddy brothers of Bellary, who are state ministers in the BJP government in Karnataka.

Veteran journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta visited Bellary over many months to painstakingly put together a documentary that details how the illegal mining of iron ore has devastated the environment and the people living in the region bordering Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

The documentary also exposes the nexus between politics, business and crime.

Titled Blood And Iron, the film highlights -- in three overlapping segments called New Republic Of Bellary, Red Gold and Red Earth -- the political, economic and ecological consequences of iron ore mining in and around Bellary district, Karnataka, and Ananthapur, Andhra Pradesh.

The documentary will be screened on January 6, 2011, at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi.

Subsequently, it will be shown at Hyderabad, Mumbai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and other parts of the country.

Private screenings are also taking place at Bellary and other places in Karnataka and also at Anathapur and other locations in Andhra Pradesh.

Video courtesy: Paranjoy Guha Thakurta