JOIN USSC seeks details for resumption of mining
The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Central Empowered Committee (CEC), its own experts panel, to apprise it of pre-conditions for allowing resumption of mining in ‘B’ category of mines in Karnataka’s Bellary, Chitradurga and Tumkur districts.
A three-judge bench led by Justice Aftab Alam told senior counsel Shyam Divan, appearing for the CEC, to file a written note mentioning all the pre-requisites for resumption of mining in those leases on next Friday.
The CEC had put the leases of iron ores into ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ categories based on the level of illegalities and irregularities allegedly resorted by them.
Divan, reading out the CEC report submitted in February, said that the leases falling in ‘A’ category were computed as 45, including the non-working leases where no marginal illegality has been found.
The category ‘B’ comprising 72 mining leases which were found to be involved in illegal mining by way of creating mining pits up to 10 per cent of the lease areas outside the sanctioned limit. The panel recommended that these leases could be allowed resumption of operation only after reclamation and rehabilitation works were undertaken satisfactorily and penalty was deposited by the lease holders.
As far as 49 category ‘C’ mines were concerned, the CEC had said, “the leases should be directed to be cancelled on account of being found to be involved in substantially illegal mining, as a penalty/compensation, the entire sale proceeds received or to be received by way of e-auction of the existing stocks of iron ore should be retained by the monitoring committee and reclamation and rehabilitation plan should be directed to be implemented at the cost of lessee.”
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for NGO Samaj Parivartan Samudaya, opposed the suggestion for resumption of mining in ‘B’ category of leases saying that even 10 per cent encroachment by these lease holders meant more than one hectare of areas in some cases, which was enough to prosecute them.
The apex court on September 3 lifted the ban imposed on mining operations in Karnataka by permitting resumption of iron ore extraction in as many as 18 ‘A’ category mines.
The court laid down strict conditions for it including compliance of all statutory guidelines, and undertaking of reclamation and rehabilitation (R and R) work.