HAVERI: The Department of Mines and Geology has imposed a penalty of Rs 3 crore on minister Rudrappa Lamani for alleged violations of stone quarrying licence conditions in Haveri district. The department has reportedly given the minister six months to pay the penalty and directed him to clear the amount in three instalments.
Lamani, who owns a stone quarry near Hunsikatti in Ranebennur taluk, is among more than 60 quarry owners in Haveri district who have been penalised for allegedly extracting stone beyond the permitted area and encroaching on adjoining land. The action follows a survey carried out to verify compliance with quarrying licence conditions.
The inspection was conducted using drone-based technology by the Karnataka State Remote Sensing Applications Centre (KSRSAC). The survey reportedly detected instances where quarrying activity had allegedly extended beyond the areas permitted under the respective licences. Following the assessment, the Department of Mines and Geology initiated action against the quarry operators and imposed penalties based on the alleged violations.
Lamani’s penalty of Rs 3 crore is among the highest imposed in the action, according to information available from the department. The notice issued to him reportedly provides a six-month period for payment, with the amount to be paid in three instalments.
The development has attracted attention as Lamani is a minister in the Karnataka government and is also a quarry owner in the district. The department’s action indicates that the licence conditions are being applied to quarry operators regardless of their position, though the exact basis for calculating the penalty against each quarry owner has not been detailed in the information available.
The issue has also triggered a reaction from the Haveri District Crusher and Quarry Owners’ Association. Association president Basavaraj Belavadi said quarry owners had been facing action following the survey and alleged that the penalties imposed were a major concern for the industry.
Belavadi claimed that Lamani had also received a penalty notice of Rs 3 crore. He said the minister, despite being part of the government, had not intervened with Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on the issue. His comments were made in the context of the association’s ongoing concerns over quarrying rules and penalties.
According to Belavadi, quarry operators have been arguing that the government should review the manner in which penalties are imposed when quarrying is found to have exceeded licensed limits. He also claimed that the minister had accepted that there was an issue with the penalty, though the claim could not be independently verified.
The latest action comes against the backdrop of continuing disputes between quarry and crusher operators and the state authorities over royalty payments, licence conditions, land boundaries and enforcement measures. Quarry operators have previously raised concerns over the financial burden arising from penalties and the procedures followed during inspections.
The KSRSAC survey has assumed significance because drone-based mapping can be used to identify the extent of quarrying activity and compare it with the boundaries permitted under mining and quarrying licences. The findings are subsequently used by the concerned department while taking regulatory action.
Officials are yet to make public the detailed calculation of the Rs 3 crore penalty imposed on Lamani, including the extent of the alleged encroachment, quantity of stone extracted beyond the permitted area and the specific provisions under which the penalty was assessed.
The notices issued to quarry owners are expected to require them to comply with the payment schedule and other conditions prescribed by the Department of Mines and Geology. Failure to comply with the orders could invite further action under the applicable mining and quarrying regulations.
For Lamani, the penalty has created a situation in which a serving minister is facing regulatory action in connection with a privately held quarrying operation. The department’s proceedings, however, relate to the alleged violation of quarry licence conditions and do not by themselves establish any criminal wrongdoing.
The Mines and Geology Department is expected to continue scrutiny of quarrying activities identified through the drone survey. Further action against operators found to have violated licence conditions could follow after verification of survey findings and assessment of the extent of unauthorised extraction. The case has also put renewed focus on monitoring quarry operations in Haveri district, where a large number of stone quarries and crusher units are functioning. The outcome of the proceedings and compliance with the penalty notices will determine the next course of action in the matter.
