In Brief
This judgment, a continuation of earlier proceedings, addresses whether the Court-imposed ceiling limits on iron ore mining in three Karnataka districts should be lifted. Multiple stakeholders including the CEC and State recommended complete removal of restrictions. However, the Court rejected this, finding that while circumstances had changed significantly since 2011-2017, a cautious incremental approach was warranted to protect environment and intergenerational equity. It raised the ceiling from 28 MMT to 35 MMT for Bellary and from 7 MMT to 15 MMT for Chitradurga/Tumkur collectively—a measured compromise balancing mining interests with environmental conservation.
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