With an eight-member team of bureaucrats and forest officials of different states accompanying Justice M B Shah Commission during the six-day visit to the state beginning Wednesday for inspecting alleged illegal mining activities, the state government seems to be feeling the heat.
The commission is believed to be training its guns on Joda and Koira, the two most prolific mining circles of the state and wary of this, the steel & mines department, has lately suspended operations of eight mines in the Koira circle.
The commission, which is likely to be split into two teams, is set to visit some mines in Joda and Koira on December 8-9.
However, the steel & mines department tried to downplay the situation, stating mines were being suspended following raids and this was only a routine procedure.
The operations of eight mines in Koira circle were suspended recently on statutory violations and also because some lessees failed to produce the required documents. This crackdown on mines has nothing to do with the impending visit of the Shah Commission and is only a routine procedure of the department,” said a top official of steel & mines department.
He denied that the commission will hold public hearings at mine sites but said the commission would take representations from people and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
Senior leaders of the political fraternity are expected to call on Justice Shah to bare facts related to rampant illegal mining and also place request for a CBI enquiry into the mining scam.
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“We are going to draw the attention of the commission towards the dire need of a CBI probe into mining scam in Orissa. Our party will also submit all relevant facts related to illegal ore raising and transportation,” said a senior BJP leader.
Senior Congress leader and leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh said, “We are going to lay all facts relating to illegal mining before the commission. Our part will seek time from the commission and will hold a preparatory meeting in this connection on Wednesday coinciding with the commission’s visit.”
Meanwhile, the steel & mines department has issued directions to the collectors of Keonjhar and Sundergarh and also to deputy director of mines of Joda and Koira circles to make available all necessary information to the commission members.
The department has also prepared a list of violations of forest and environment laws at mining sites and action taken thereof for perusal by the commission. Recently, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) was asked by the department to submit a report on forest law violations by lessees.
The commission will among other things scrutinize the status of all 188 working and suspended iron ore and manganese ore mines in the state, check whether lessees have valid mining plans and also examine violations of mining and forest laws by the miners.
The state government had submitted its first report to the commission on May 13 and filed its next reply on June 1 this year. Later on August10, the commission has sought some additional information on areas like lease wise production, exports, violations detected under Orissa Minerals (Prevention of Theft & Smuggling Rules)- OMPTS-2007 and action taken thereof and the steel & mines department had complied with the same by September-end.
More recently, the commission had sought information from the steel & mines department on alleged violation of Mines and Minerals Development and Regulation (MMDR) Act, 1957 and Mineral Concession Rules (MCR)-1960 by Patnaik Minerals Private Ltd in the Joda circle.
The stringent measures taken up by the steel & mines department have now left barely 117 mining leases working out of a total of 600 leases. Operations of 242 mines have been suspended whereas those of 157 others have been temporarily discontinued. As many as 40 leases have been determined with the steel & mines department not renewing any of the expired leases.