STRINGENT MEASURES TO BE TAKEN IN ILLEGAL MINING

STRINGENT MEASURES TO BE TAKEN IN ILLEGAL MINING : M B SHAH 12/12/2011

ODISHA NEWS: Justice MB Shah on Sunday warned that anyone indulging in illegal mining would be severely dealt with.

The Commission led by Justice Shah, during its four-day state tour, visited 10 mines in the Joda Mining Circle in Keonjhar district.

Justice Shah's impression towards most of the mines owners was evident when he snubbed one of them who pleaded that they are trying to do good for the people.

You have polluted the environment, damaged roads and are reluctant to spend for the local community, Justice Shah said, criticizing the mines owners taking shelter of the court when the government frames any rules for development of the community.

He also went on targeting the mines owners, saying, ‘You are buying helicopters and unable to develop roads!’

The Commission, during its visit, took an impression about how the mindless mining activities have affected the local people, ecology, economy and, above all, the adverse effect on the country's precious mineral wealth.

More than 300 people related their grievances and submitted written petitions during the public hearing.

Social activist Padmashri Tulasi Munda, along with many other citizens and labour union leaders, described the economic condition of the district and labour unemployment caused by closure of mines.

They urged the Commission to ensure reopening of that closed mines and allowing legal mining operations and demanded that action be initiated against those responsible for the mining scam.

If illegal mining continued for years, then the departmental authorities in charge of regulating mining operations were culprits too.

So let the Commission also find out the names of official bureaucrats and politicians who promoted the mining scam, argued president of Progressive Citizens' Forum Dhirendra Rout.

Some also drew the attention of the Commission to the gross illegalities in the government-operated mines.

Finally the state government had to close the mines when the mining scam inquiry was conducted by the State Vigilance.

It is a pity that government mines, instead of being an example for private operators, indulged in illegal mining too, said local lawyer Debashis Pati.

Generally, most of the petitioners urged the Commission to come out with solutions how to regularise mining since the state and district administration have already started taking strong steps to check illegal mining.

Most of the mines have been closed and huge seizure of illegally-raised ores has been made besides arrest of at least 800 found involved in theft, DV Swamy, Keonjhar collector said.

The action initiated by the state government to check illegal mining is satisfactory and the information provided by the administration has been very useful, a member of the Commission observed.

We will come back to visit the Koida Mining Circle and continue with the pending inquiry, the Commission told reporters before leaving for the state capital.

About a thousand retrenched mine labourers belonging to the AITUC unions demonstrated outside the meeting hall demanding reopening of mines.

Echoing the sentiments of the Odisha government, the Justice M B Shah Commission on Sunday took a dig at the mine owners for not taking steps for peripheral development in the mineral rich Keonjhar district and took a dig at their lavish life style.

You are earning millions of rupees, even having helicopters. Then why should you not provide medical aid in this state, in this district, Justice Shah asked the mine owners during the Commission’s interaction with various stake holders of the mining industry in Keonjhar on the third day of their field probe about illegal mining in the area.

The principle of economy is when you are earning sufficiently, there is some share of labour also, he said, while justifying his demand for profit sharing.

The Commission also favoured the idea of collecting special mining royalty for the mineral rich districts, in line with the state government demand to levy mineral resource rent tax for the betterment of the mining areas.

The eight-member team led by retired Supreme Court judge M B Shah also held the miners responsible for damaging the environment of the mining area.

Conditions which are required (to get mining lease), specifically provides that you shall not pollute the air, you shall not pollute the water and you shall provide better infrastructure and roads. We have seen a number of places, where pollution has affected the entire area including the trees at both sides of the road, he said.

The Commission on Saturday had visited four mines in the area which included Sarada Mines, Joda (east) mines of Tata Steel, Kasia iron ore and dolomite mines of Essel Mining & Industries and Mideast Integrated Steel's (Mesco) Barbil mines.

The probe panel grilled these four lessees on various aspects including violation of Mineral Concession Rules-1960, whether the miners have raised excess ore during 2001-10 and if the same has been ratified by the Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) and whether they have obtained the due forest clearance from the ministry of environment & forests (MoEF).

The national level illegal mining investigating agency expressed its displeasure against Essel Mining for absence of statutory clearances and on Sarada Mines for excess lifting of ores.

It also questioned the lax attitude shown by the IBM regarding enforcement of mining rules and laws.

The team had to skip its visit to Koida in Sundargarh district on Saturday as about 3,000 mining labourers blocked NH 215 demanding operation of mines without any hindrance.

Shah Commission members said that they are not against the mines which are following the rules.

We have never said legal mining should stop. We only inspected the mines that violated the environmental and mining laws, Justice Shah said at the interaction meeting on Sunday.

On Friday, the commission had inspected five mines- Unchabali iron ore & manganese ore mines of Indrani Patnaik, Patnaik Minerals Pvt Ltd under Joda circle, Jajang mines of the Rungtas, Mala Ray mines and B D Patnaik's Kalapahad mine.

The Shah Commission's probe will culminate with the meeting with chief secretary at the State Secretariat here on Monday morning in the presence of the secretaries of steel and mines, commerce & transport and revenue and disaster management departments.

SIDDHARTHA SHANKAR MISHRA,
BUREAU CHIEF, THESE DAYS,
ODISHA