Mandya, March 5 -- In a repeat of the events that unfolded on July 25, 2022, the Mandya District Administration was compelled to suspend trial blasts near the Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) Dam in Srirangapatna taluk of Mandya district this morning. This decision was prompted by vehement protests by farmers.

As a result, the team of scientists from Jharkhand's Dhanbad-based Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research (CSIR-CIMFR), who had arrived at KRS for the inspection, had no choice but to return to Jharkhand without completing their mission.

In January this year, the Karnataka High Court imposed a ban on all forms of mining and quarrying activities within a 20-km radius of the historic Dam. The Court said that the ban will remain in fo...