Karnataka: Panic grips villages around Baby Betta

MANDYA: Villagers of Baby betta are in panic following the Shivamogga blast as they fear that a similar incident could happen in their area as blasting in stone quarries is still going on here.
According to sources, following the blast at Shivamogga, officials in the police and mines departments are said to have launched a drive to seize large quantities of gelatin sticks which may have been stored.
Kallahalli Ravindra, an RTI activist who is fighting against mining activities around Babybetta, alleged that a huge cache of explosives could be seized if police and mines officers raid illegal mining units in and around Babybetta. “Earlier, Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) had given its report that two powerful seismic activities had been detected near Krishanrajasagara (KRS) reservoir and attributed it to powerful blasts which were sourced to a nearby mining area,” he said.
Ravindra said if a powerful blast like the one in Shivamogga occurred near KRS reservoir, it would pose serious danger to safety of the dam and nothing can be done if such unsavoury incidents happen. A senior police officer said steps are being taken to thwart a Shivamogga blast-like incident throughout the district, especially in Babybetta, which has become a sensitive issue given reports that unbridled blasting is endangering KRS reservoir.