Former Union Minister Bhagwant Khuba issued notice to pay Rs 25.30 crore fine for illegal mining

KALABURAGI: The tahsildar of Kalagi taluk in the district has issued a notice to former Union Minister Bhagwant Khuba, asking him to pay a fine of Rs 25.30 crore for alleged illegal mining in Chittapur taluk’s Wacha village.

According to the notice, Khuba had obtained permission for mining in 2 acres of land in Survey number 24/4 of Wacha village, but allegedly carried out mining in over 8 acres of land between July 19, 2014, and July 18, 2019.

A joint inspection was conducted by the mining department and the Kalagi tahsildar’s office based on a complaint filed by Sanjeevkumar Tippanna Jawakar, which found evidence of illegal mining. The authorities have issued three notices to Khuba, asking him to pay the fine.

Khuba has approached the court challenging the notices. The case relates to alleged illegal mining in Wacha village, where Khuba had obtained permission for mining in 2 acres of land but allegedly mined in a larger area without permission.