Crackdown on illegal quarrying and its aftermath in Karnataka

The quarry blast in Shivamogga in January, which also had left six people dead, triggered a crackdown on illegal quarrying and handling of explosives across the State, including in Chickballapur district, which is plagued by stone quarrying and crushers. The Internal Security Division (ISD) recently raided the house of a quarry employee, Shivakumar, in Chintamani taluk and recovered a huge cache of explosives stored illegally. This led to the arrest of Gangoji Rao, a licensed explosives dealer from Manchenahalli, who had been supplying gelatin, detonators, and other explosives used in quarries illegally.