From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore

Bangalore, Nov 16: Drilling operations for Uranium mining by the Central public sector undertaking - Uranium Corporation of India Ltd - in Yadgir district's Gogi village in north Karnataka has met with stiff resistance from the local people.

Ironically, the Yadgir district-in-charge minister Raju Gowda, himself has taken the lead in spearheading the public protest on the ground that the uranium mining activities would pose a serious health hazard.

Raju Gowda, who spoke to reporters, publicly urged the Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda to prevail upon the Centre to cancel the project.

The minister declared that he would lead a delegation of local people to meet the Chief Minister and demand that the State Government should not give consent to the mining project.

He said UCIL authorities have already engaged in drilling operations for uranium extract and have dug up a tunnel to the depth of over 273 meters into the ground and the effluents generated from it was being discharged to a nearby tank.

The exploratory mining activities are being carried out in an area of 32 hectares in the outskirts of the village, the minister said.

“Consumption of tank water by human beings and cattle resulted into grievous health problems in the area,” he said pointing out that the inhabitants of Gogi village have already experienced the radiation related health problems.

UCIL is engaged in exploratory mining for uranium in Gogi village in Shahapur taluk of Yadgir district from 2007 as the State Government has given in-principle approval for the project in July 2011.

The Government has agreed in principle to allot 102 hectares to the UCIL for conducting mining activities in Gogi, where rich deposit of uranium was found.

The exploratory mining conducted in the village revealed the presence of rich deposit of uranium in the village which was situated on the bank of Bheema river, a tributary of Krishna.

The minister held a meting with representatives of the Gogi village, local legislators, scientists and experts on the UCIL project and told reporters that he would take a delegation to the Chief Minister seeking cancellation of permission granted for uranium mining at Gogi.

UCIL has been seeking permissions from Ministry of Environment and Forest and other agencies for getting environmental clearance.

The Western Ghat Task Force headed by Ananth Hegde Ashisar too received several petitions opposing the project. UCIL has undertaken the mining activities on exploratory basis, Raju Gowda said.