The Hindu Business Line : Ore movement under`mines' Karnataka roads

`TRANSPORT more ore, damage more roads'. This is how the people of coastal Karnataka rue over the condition of roads following the movement of heavily loaded lorries carrying iron ore. One of the major export cargoes from Karnataka ports, iron ore is facing the public ire now.

It is said that most trucks ferrying iron ore from the Bellary-Hospet belt to the New Mangalore Port and minor ports on the Karnataka coast, carry 50-52 tonnes against the stipulated limit of 18-24 tonnes, damaging roads and bridges. According to one estimate, more than 1,000 trucks bring ore from Bellary-Hospet region to Mangalore every day.

People have expressed concern over the deterioration of roads. A few `rasta roko' agitations have also been staged. As the administration has banned the movement of overloaded lorries on some stretches of the National Highways following the public outcry, truckers have begun using major district roads and village roads to reach Mangalore. Road engineers say that the major district and village roads cannot bear such a load, and they will be damaged.

The Amai Bridge on National Highway 48 has been closed for lorries. Many morebridges are facing the threat of closure. Parking of overloaded lorries on the side is also damaging the roads. Engineers say that where overloaded trucks are parked for long, the land will lose its elastic recovery strength.

Iron ore fines and dust, which settle on the roads and the surrounding areas where the overloaded lorries ply, are another major problem.

People in the industrial sector here say that the early completion of Mangalore-Hassan railway line should provide some relief. This is scheduled to happen in the first half of 2005, if one goes by the statements of the government officials and politicians.

The Infrastructure Secretary of the Karnataka Government, Mr Vinay Kumar, who was in Mangalore recently, hoped that the railway line would be completed by June 2005.

Or,a leaf can be taken out of the book of such PSUs as Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Ltd (KIOCL). The company, which mines ore at Kudremukh, brings it to Mangalore in slurry form through pipelines. Such movement of ore eliminates the problem associated with the road transport.

KIOCL contributed a major share in the export of iron ore from New Mangalore Port during 2003-04. Of the 7.08 million tonnes of iron ore cargo — ore, pellets and fines — exported from New Mangalore Port, KIOCL's share was 5.15 million tonnes.

The company exported 1.522 million tonnes of iron ore concentrate and 3.628 million tonnes of iron ore pellets, including pellet fines.

It is an irony that the remaining 1.9 million tonnes of ore, brought through trucks, cause severe damage to the roads and bridges in the region. Officials say that though KIOCL transported nearly three times more than that, it did not damage roads.

KIOCL is now looking at other areas to mine, as it can mine at Kudremukh only till December 2005 following a Supreme Court judgement in this regard.

It had submitted an application to the Karnataka Government in March 2001, seeking the grant of mining lease for exploitation of iron ore deposits in Ramanadurga of Bellary district.

Officials say that the company has filed a fresh application following the Government issuing a Gazette notification inviting fresh applications for grant of mining lease in the Bellary-Hospet region.

They claim that the company can help in reducing the problems arising out of the transportation of iron ore through trucks.

The company can bring ore from the mining sites through the railway line and transport it to its captive berth at Panambur. For this, the company needs some time to build new infrastructure and modify the existing facilities.

The company does not use the road transport system to bring raw material to even its subsidiary, Kudremukh Iron and Steel Company Ltd, in Mangalore. Instead, the company is using the Konkan Railway network though a bit circuitous.

It is to be seen when these options will materialise and the people of the region heave a sigh of relief.

More Stories on : Roadways | Minerals | Karnataka

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