Villagers of Kunigal taluk in Tumkur district dreaded a private company which was on the verge of commencing mining in the area, posing a threat to a dam built by Sir MVisvesvaraya at Markonahalli in 1940.But they can rest easy following the state government's decision not to grant any quarrying lease in the area. In response to a PIL filed in the Karnataka High Court, the government said permission has been grant ed only for crushing activities which won't affect the dam. Following the government's submission, the court disposed of the PIL.The petition had been filed by advocate GR Mohan following a Times of India report that the Hyderabadbased company had installed heavy machinery for mining in the area. Close on the heels of the high court order, the company has moved out all its equipment from the area. The company had in 2012 installed mining machinery on a 10-acre plot, claiming they had no-objection certificates from all departments concerned, including forest, mines and geology . The project aimed at blasting, quarrying and stone crushing. Locals were up in arms as they feared the dam built across Shimsha river and about 1km away would be endangered. The then deputy commissioner RK Raju had claimed that mining would go on as all papers had been cleared. But Cauvery Neeravari Nigama engineers wrote to the government, expressing concern over the risk posed to the dam. “There's stone-crushing machinery in our region.But this company's huge machines didn't seem they were for stone crushing. Soon after the HC order on September 8, 2014, the company dismantled the machinery and shifted them in three 10wheel lorries,“ a local said. TIMES VIEW It's heartening that the I government has heeded the voice of the people and not allowed mining at the Markonahalli dam across the Shimsha river. This place has a historical connection with engineer-visionary Sir M Visvesvaraya and at least on that count, it deserves to be considered a significant state heritage site. Allowing mining in the vicinity would have caused ecological damage to the river and the dam, and the state would have lost an important part of its irrigation history. Protests by locals forced the government not to allow mining there, proving once again that if people rise as one against potentially harmful actions, they can make a difference for the better.