JOIN USKarnataka Iron & Steel Manufacturers Association, on Thursday, appealed the Supreme Court to speed up the process of re-opening of closed mines in “environment-friendly manner” in Karnataka’s Bellary, Tumkur and Chitradurga districts to help the industry.
Only as many as seven out of 18 mines in ‘A’ category, which were ordered to resume extracting iron ore by the apex court on September 3 last, were operating, while one of them remained closed, senior advocate C A Sundaram submitted before a forest bench presided over by Justice Aftab Alam.
Appearing for the association, Sundaram submitted, “It is in our interest that all the mines which can be operated in environment-friendly manner should be reopened.”
However, the bench, also comprising Justices K S Radhakrishnan and Ranjan Gogoi, said, “We appreciate your anxiety. But you should go the concerns of the manufacturers.”
Sundaram also urged the court to resolve the issue of pricing of iron ore, saying that the steel manufacturers were facing an acute shortage of iron ore in as much as even the ore that was available was being priced so high that they found it hard to buy.
The apex court-appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC) had, in its report of February 15, asked the bench to allow resumption of mining in ‘A’ and ‘B’ category of mines as substantial reclamation and rehabilitation work has taken place. Countering the plea, NGO Samaj Parivartan Samudaya (SPS) appealed to the court to set up an independent committee to examine illegalities other than the encroachment by the lease holders.