SC cancels 49 illegal mining leases, based on CEC report
AGENCIES, NEW DELHI | 18 April 2013 18:55 IST
The Supreme Court today cancelled 49 mining leases, involved in all kind of illegalities in Bellary, Tumkur and Chitradurg districts of Karnataka.
However, the apex court allowed resumption of activity in mines with lesser illegalities as recommended by a Central Empowered Committee (CEC).
The ruling is the latest step back from a total ban on mining in the state that was put in force in 2011, because of environmental concerns.
The forest bench of the Supreme Court has accepted all the reports, submitted periodically by the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) since July 2011, regarding the mining in Karnataka.
The CEC had categorized the mines in the area in three categories - A, B and C.
The mines in which there were least or no irregularities were categorized as 'A'.
Total 18 mines were listed in ‘A’ category and the court had permitted on 3 September 2012 to resume mining activity, subject to certain conditions being fulfilled.
Seven of these mines have already started operating.
Based on the CEC reports, the court has allowed Category ‘B’ mines to restart mining subject to necessary statutory clearances.
A bench of Justices Aftab Alam, K. S. Radhakrishnan and Ranjan Gogoi also said the illegal iron ore mining on the Andhra-Karnataka border would remain suspended till the demarcation of boundary between the two states is completed.
The order was passed on a plea by NGO Samaja Parivartana Samudaya, which had alleged large-scale irregularities and illegalities committed by various private mining firms.
These firms were holding licences to mine in Bellary, Tumkur and Chitradurg districts as well as state-owned Mysore Mining Ltd (MML).
The illegalities referred to included illegal mining activities, allotment of huge quantities of iron ore at throw-away prices to private companies and an increase in rates at which iron ore was supplied to some other companies.
The Supreme Court however had allowed state-run miner NMDC to produce one million tonnes a month in August 2011.
India used to produce about 200 million tonnes a year of iron ore and exported about half of that, mostly to top buyer China.
But a clampdown on illegal mining, and exports from Karnataka, has slashed both output and shipments.
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