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The Central Empowered Committee (CEC), appointed by the Supreme Court, will conduct hearing on illegal mining activities in Odisha from August 5 onwards at New Delhi, according to a notice received by the state government.
CEC has asked the state officials and iron ore and manganese mines lease holders from Odisha to be present before it with data on lease-wise mineral output.
On August 5, cases of about 32 lease belonging to Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC), Steel Authority of India (SAIL) and Orissa Mineral Development Corporation (OMDC) will be heard.
The following day the committee is scheduled to hear arguments of 10 leaseholders including Sarada Mines, R P Sao and Essel Mining.
Similarly, 23 miners will present themselves before the panel on August 7. They include Sirajuddin and Rungta. The next day, the CEC will hear cases of 27 leases including those involved in Uliburu mining scam.
On August 12, it has decided to hear the pleas of about 100 miners who do not have any major allegations against them.
A recent status report submitted by the state government to the CEC said, out of 187 iron ore and manganese leases in the state, only 41 are operating while 102 mines have stopped operation due to non-availability of necessary clearance from Ministry of Forest and Environment or Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) or due to non-possession of consent to operate certificate from the State Pollution Control Board.
Leases of 29 mines have either expired or have been terminated, the government informed the enquiry panel.
The CEC team, after a two-day tour to Odisha in the second week of last month, had asked the state government to provide all data regarding irregularity in mining operations before August 21.
However, due to delay in collecting data from various departments such as forest and environment, state pollution control board and vigilance wing of the state police, the state government sent the data only last week.
Along with miners, officials of the Odisha government from related departments have also been instructed to be present during the hearing. After hearing all the mines lease holders, it is expected that the CEC will submit its report to the Supreme Court about status of illegal mining in Odisha by the third week of August.
In April this year, the CEC was instructed by the Supreme Court to submit details of the status of illegal mining in Odisha while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL). In its petition, civil society organisation Common Cause had appealed the top court to ban mining in Odisha after leaked reports of Shah Commission of enquiry suggested all modes of illegal mining taking place in the state between 2003 and 2009.
