SC orders rehab in State's mining districts

The Supreme Court today accepted the recommendations of a Central Empowered Committee (CEC), appointed by it, which had suggested that no new mining leases should be granted in Bellary, Tumkur and Chitradurga districts of Karnataka unless rehabilitation plans for the existing leases were executed.

A three-judge forest Bench headed by Chief Justice S H Kapadia passed the order after accepting the apex court-appointed Central Empowered Committee’s (CEC) recommendations on the rehabilitation and reclamation (R&R) of the mining areas.

The court expressed concern over the damage caused to the environment by illegal mining of iron ore in the region and refused to relax the ban on the extraction of natural resource.

“Today, let us start the process of rehabilitation and reclamation. The ban on mining will continue. We are concerned with the greater environmental crisis,” the Bench, also comprising Justice Aftab Alam and Justice Swatanter Kumar, said.

In its order, the court asked the CEC to give suggestions with regard to stockyards of the lease holders. The committee was asked indicate if the preparatory work in the case of ‘A’ category (where no violation was found) of mining leases could start.

The Bench clarified that the preparation, implementation and monitoring of R&R plan would be carried out solely under the supervision of the CEC which has laid down that the process would be carried out by the state government at the cost of the lessee.

Appearing for the CEC, Advocate Shyam Divan said if the court accepted the recommendations, the R&R plan for about 20 mining leases falling in category A and about 29 mining leases of category B would be completed in phase 1 and 2 within two months.

In its report, the CEC had said on March 13 that the  objectives of the plan would be to carry out time-bound reclamation and rehabilitation of the areas found to be under illegal mining and to ensure scientific and environmentally sustainable extraction in others.

The lease-wise R&R plans would provide for filling up of the illegal mining pits with the existing overburden waste and soil; and conservation measures to stabilise the areas, besides afforestation with indigenous species.

Divan said that as per CEC’s estimate, the iron ore deposits would not last more than 20 years. He sought the directions to ensure that there was no environmental degradation within the mining area and for proper infrastructure being put in place for transporation as per the guidelines set by the Indian Council for Forestry Research and Education.