Central panel finds rampant illegal mining in Orissa

The Orissa government on Tuesday said it would respond to the interim report submitted by the Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee on environment.

?We are yet to get the CEC report,” said the state steel & mines minister, Raghunath Mohanty, adding, ?we will respond once we get the copy of the report.”

The CEC, in its interim report submitted to the Supreme Court on Monday in Delhi, has pointed out that there was rampant illegal mining in the state. There was blatant violation of the Forest Conservation Act 1980 by miners while carrying out illegal mining. ?The state government, however, has taken some steps to stop the illegal mining activities belatedly though,” the CEC has said.

The CEC has pointed out that as many as 215 mines were operative for 10 to 20 years on deemed renewal status. ?By allowing mining activities without renewal of the lease, opportunities were created to violate the forest laws,” the CEC has said in its 85-page report. According to the CEC, minerals were raised much in excess of the allowed quantity, mining was carried out in areas outside the leased and forest areas. The mining and environment rules and laws could not be enforced effectively as there was lack of coordination between the state forest department and mining department, the committee has observed.

The CEC has said that the state government should estimate the net productive value (NPV) of the illegal mining and collect the amount from unscrupulous miners. Stating that the NPV amount would run into crores of rupees, the committee has suggested that at least 50% of the NPV amount be spend for the peripheral development and welfare of the tribals living in the mines areas.

Jana Mancha activist Rabi Das has filed a petition in the supreme court praying that the alleged mining scam in the state be probed by an independent authority.

The five member CEC headed by CV Jayakrishnan had heard the petitioner’s counsel Jayanta Das, and the state government during the last six months.

The green bench of the Supreme Court has posted the hearing on the issue on May 7, 2010. The bench has directed that notices should be served on the state government to file its reply.