Rungta Mines Ltd which operates iron ore and manganese mines at Jajang village in Keonjhar district is in the dock for violation of certain forest norms and illegal establishment of a mobile crusher unit in the mine leasehold area.
The company, which had applied for the second renewal of mining lease, has been issued a showcause notice by the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) - Keonjhar division recently in the light of these violations.
The DFO has questioned the company as to why action should not be taken against it for violation of Forest (Conservation) Act-1980.
The showcause notice blamed the company for not maintaining a virgin forest cover of 22.10 hectares and totally degrading the area by illicit felling of trees.
It pointed out about gross violation of the land use pattern by the company while creating a mineral stocking yard near over burden dump-D.
The notice said, Rungta Mines has broken the safety zone by constructing a road over it. It pulled up the company for setting up a mobile crusher unit illegally within the lease area in gross violation of land use pattern.
It may noted, Rungta Mines was recently in news for violating the approved mining plan of Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) by raising excess ore during 2000-01 to 2007-08.
The company has raised 2.32 million tonnes of iron ore and 0.89 million tonnes of manganese in excess of the IBM stipulated mining plan during this period, state minister for industries and steel & mines Raghunath Mohanty had said in the assembly.
From its Nadidihi iron ore mines spread over 73.85 hectares in Sundergarh district, the excess production stood at 0.74 million tonnes and 0.22 million tonnes in 2006-07 and 2007-08 respectively.
Similarly, the excess production at the Jajang iron ore and manganese ore mines stood at 7684 tonnes in 2001-02, 114900 tonnes in 2002-03 and 0.68 million tonnes in 2004-05.
The company has recorded excess extraction of 99815 tonnes in 2004-05 and 0.51 million tonnes in 2005-06 at its Rengalibeda and Nadikasira iron ore and manganese mines in Sundergarh district.
