Centre's fiat on illegal mining

Union Mining Minister B K Handique may soon meet the authorities of these states to impress upon them to crack down on the mining mafia.

The ministry is likely to hold a meeting with the governments of Karnataka, Orissa, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh in this regard.
The ministry, which has offered to extend all support including a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged illegal mining in Karnataka and Orissa, will ask the states to seek the help of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for satellite imaging to detect violation of mining rules, sources in the ministry told Deccan Herald.
The Centre will also ask the state governments to revoke the licenses of lease holders who flout norms. The governments will also be directed to constitute special courts to try cases pertaining to violation of mining rules.

Interestingly, it is the duty of the state governments concerned to monitor the activities of lease holders.

With the Centre receiving a number of complaints relating to illegal mining, the ministry is worried about possible law and order problems in the long run due to the pumping of money into the mining mafia.

To empower states with more penal provisions, the Centre has proposed to amend the Mines and Mineral (Development and Regulation) Act. The proposal was approved by the Cabinet and is likely to come up before Parliament soon.


Oppn demands CBI probe

Opposition parties, including the Left and Telugu Desham Party (TDP) on Friday demanded a CBI probe into alleged illegal mining activities in Karnataka, DHNS reports from New Delhi.
After holding a meeting with top leaders of Rastriya Lok Dal, CPM and CPI here, TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu told reporters that the Reddy brothers and their Obulapuram Mining Company were indulging in illegal mining activities and using the ill-gotten money to influence politics in AP and Karnataka.  CPM general secretary Prakash Karat told reporters that his party would co-operate with other parties to raise the issue at the national level and demanded a change in the mining policy.