After the imposition of a penalty of INR 123 crore for excavation in the Basapura tank in Koppal district, MSPL has stated that it had no interest in murram.

Mr Raghavendra Rao head of corporate communications of MSPL said that ''It is a minor mineral. We are into gold mining and iron ore mining.”

He clarified that the land being spoken about actually belongs to MSPL group company, Aaress Iron and Steel Limited.

Mr Rao said that “This land was acquired for our proposed steel plant. Hence, there is no question of mining in revenue land. Moreover, there is no mining in Koppal.”

A local group, Tungabhadra Jilla Bachao Samiti, has accused the firm of mining in the Basapura tank. Rao says the excavation was done to expand the Basapura tank allotted to them in the larger piece of land which was acquired through KIADB in 2007.

He added that “We, as a responsible organization, have been advocating legal, systematic and scientific mining.”

(Sourced from www.deccanherald.com)