Chargesheet against D K Suresh over illegal mining

Mangalore Today News Network

Bangalore, Sep 11, 2014, DHNS: The Forest department has filed a chargesheet in the judicial Magistrate First Class court at Kanakapura in Ramanagar district against a firm owned by D K Suresh, the Bangalore Rural MP, for allegedly undertaking illegal mining on its land.

The chargesheet says that the company had undertaken illegal quarrying on survey number 9 atop the Muneshwara hill at Kotekoppa, Uyyamballi hobli of Kanakapura taluk.

The Kanakapura range forest officer says in the chargesheet that the department has suffered losses to the tune of Rs 91 lakh due to the illegality.

Among the charges against Suresh’s firm are: destroying the forest boundary, encroaching forest land, destroying trees and illegally quarrying decorative granite of multiple hues.


The losses to the exchequer due to granite quarrying  have been put at Rs 12.93 lakh, while the environment costs are estimated at Rs 4.81 lakh. A total of 14,250 plants and trees are said to have been destroyed. The pilferage in terms of royalty has been put at Rs 73 lakh, says the chargesheet.

A senior officer in the Forest department says that Suresh may have to face two years of jail term if proved guilty.

The officer said that legal action will be initiated also against officials of the mines and geology department who gave the permission to undertake mining in forest area in 2001, besides forest officers who gave the no-objection certificate.