HUBLI: The National Committee for Protection of Natural Resources (NCPNR) founder-president S R Hiremath has termed the arrest of Janardhana Reddy by CBI sleuths as a milestone in the process of unearthing illegal mining and protecting natural resources in the state.Hiremath said that following the indictment by the Lokayukta in its report on illegal mining, action against two former chief ministers B S Yeddyurappa and H D Kumaraswamy had been initiated. However, action is yet to be taken against the Reddy brothers, B Sriramalu, a few MLAs from Bellary district, MLA Anil Lad and officials who had colluded with the miners.The state government had earlier refrained from handing over the matter to the CBI. Even the present government headed by D V Sadananda Gowda is slow on taking decisive action against the illegal miners and the 700 officials who figure in the U V Singh Report, he alleged.He said that Reddy being a prominent figure among illegal miners, his arrest is a welcome move and significant in arresting illegal mining. The CBI has handled the matter in a most efficient manner and have taken him into custody, he said.On the recommendation of the AP government, the matter was handed over to the CBI in Nov 2009. Though the illegal miners succeeded in staying the proceedings, the wheels of law have been set in motion, he stated.
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