The Kudremukh Wildlife Foundation has welcomed the State government’s decision to wind up the mining operations of the Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Ltd (KIOCL) within five years as submitted to the Supreme Court in its response to the Interlocutory Application by Mr K M Chinnappa, trustee, Wildlife First. In a joint press statement, the Foundation members termed the State government’s decision as environmentally sound and a socially responsible one. ‘’The State government has submitted to the Supreme Court that no fresh areas should be broken up for mining. It has also stated that appropriate programmes for eco-restoration, safety of the Lakya dam and additional funds for implementation of these programmes would be the conditions imposed on the KIOCL. Such a decision will ensure long-term protection of the unique Kudremukh ecosystem,” the foundation members said. They pointed out that Kudremukh region is an important watershed area where three major rivers - Tunga, Bhadra and Nethravathi - originate, on which lakhs of people depend. This decision will help save Kudremukh, a larger area in the Western Ghats that probably surpasses the biodiversity richness of the Silent Valley, they said. The foundation members include representatives of Nature Conservation Guild and Wildcat (Chikmagalur), Arohana (Mangalore) and Green Watchers (Tumkur).

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