A four-member team of the Supreme Court-appointed central empowered committee (CEC) headed by PV Jayakrishna arrived in Bhubaneswar on Saturday on a four-day visit to Odisha. The team will make spot visits to some iron ore and manganese mines to inquire into the alleged violation of mining laws.
The team, comprising MK Muthu, Mahindra Vyas and SK Patnaik, will visit Joda and Koida sectors for fact-finding and to verify allegations pertaining to violation of Rule 37 which has been widely discussed by the CEC and Shah Commission. The team will visit 11 mines in these two sectors.
Rule 37 is a mining clause that bars companies from subleasing or transferring control without prior government permission.
The panel, during its visit last month, had asked the state government to complete the hearing process of miners, who have violated Rule-37 of Mineral Concession Rules (MCR)-1960, expeditiously.
Following this, the government had issued showcause notices to eight miners over statutory violations.
The eight lessees that have been found guilty of violating Rule-37 are Indrani Patnaik, KJS Ahluwalia, RP Sao, Sarada Mines, Aryan Mines (Koira), Mala Ray mines (Keonjhar), Kabita Agrawal (Koira) and Mideast Integrated Steel?s (Mesco) Barbil mines.
Six of the lessees have already moved the revision authority under the central mines ministry and secured orders barring the state steel and mines department from passing any order in their cases.
The panel had also questioned mining contractor Thriveni Earthmovers? MD B Pravakaran, whose company is raising minerals on behalf of several miners in violation of Rule 37.
According to sources, the team will visit the Joda and Koira mining areas on July 13 and 14 in the presence of state government officials and mining lease holders, after which it will hold talks with state government officials in Bhubaneswar on July 15.