Question

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain words/ Phrases have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some of the questions. The pristine environs near Kuppalli in Tirthahalli taluk, that played an important role in moulding the sensibilities of poet laureate Kuvempu, is under threat owing to unauthorised stone quarrying and sand extraction. The illegal stone quarrying in Melinakuruvalli gram panchayat, located on the outskirts of the Kuvempu Bioreserve Forest, has wreaked havoc on the fragile ecology of the region. To boost the efforts to conserve the forest in and around Kuppalli, the birth place of Kuvempu, the government declared 3,000-acre forest here as Kuvempu Bioreserve Forest in 2003 to mark the birth centenary of Kuvempu. The Department of Mines and Geology had issued permission for mining of stone on 6 acres of land in Survey Number 38 and 75 in Melinakuruvalli in 1989 to KalluKutukaraSahakara Sangha, a cooperative society of stone workers and for 11 private persons on another 6 acres of land here in 1989. However, as against 12 acres of land for which the permission was sanctioned for mining stone here, mining is being undertaken on about 40 acres. To reach Kuppalli from Tirthahalli town, one has to pass through Melinakuruvalli and the big pit formed on the roadside from quarrying pose a threat for the vehicular movement on this stretch. Sandesh Javali, president, Tirthahalli Town Panchayat toldThe Hindu, that cracks have developed on the walls of houses in the Ashraya Colony located near the quarry owing to blasting undertaken here. The literary works of Kuvempu have references to the iconic arch bridge, locally known askamaanusethuveconstructed across the Tunga river; Parashurama Tirtha, and Rama Mantap on the bank of the river. The quarry is located a few metres away from these structures and blasting has posed a threat to them too. The Tirthahalli Town Panchayat and Melinakuruvalli GP have passed several resolutions to stop the quarrying activities, but no action has been taken in this regard so far, he said. Mr. Javali alleged that the pits of some of the illegal quarries are 80 ft deep. More than 150 truck load of stone lifted from these quarries daily are being sent to Uttara Kannada, Bengaluru city, and Goa. Nempe Devaraj, an environmentalist, said there are reports of illegal quarrying in the core area of bioreserve forest near Charanabailu-Bandigadi village. Another spot of inspiration for Kuvempu was the Tunga river bank near Chibbalugudde village, also known as Sibbalugudde near Tirthahalli. The flight of herons on the sky here was compared to the “Signature of God” in one of his famous poems. The beauty of this place is greatly eroded now with sand being lifted illegally using pokelane machines on the river bank in and around Chibbalagudde, said Ganapathi, a local farmer. Sathyanarayan, Tahsildar of Tirthahalli, admits that there are complaints of quarrying undertaken in non-permitted areas. During the raid conducted in Melinakuruvalli recently, three persons were involved in loading stones mined in non-permitted areas. To end the illegal activities, a survey would be undertaken here shortly to identify and demarcate the area for which the permission was granted for quarrying, he added.