Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) over an explosion at a stone quarry near Shivamogga, based on the action report taken by the State government.
According to a division bench led by Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, the authorities have filed a charge sheet against the accused persons responsible for the incident, and a committee has been constituted to curb illegal stone crushing activities.
M. K. Vijayakumar, a Bengaluru-based lawyer, filed a PIL in which he sought that criminal cases be filed against government officials for negligence, as well as a scheme for determining the extent of the harm and compensating the families of those who died.
The tragedy occurred on January 21, 2021, in the villages of Abbalagere and Hunasodu, about 8 kilometres from Shivamogga town, where a blast had claimed life of six people.
The government stated that the authorities are doing everything necessary to prevent illegal quarrying. It was also informed that efforts are being made in the public’s and the environment’s best interests.
The bench also noted that, “It is also stated that officers of the department took active steps to stop all illegal mining activities in parts of Shivamogga District and to conduct enquiries into illegal stone crushing activities by forming teams of officers and experts, including of the police department.”
