SC allows Panna diamond mines to reopen after 2 yrs

After two years, the Supreme Court today allowed the Panna diamond mines to reopen and operate under the strict watch of a five-member monitoring commitee.

A part of the net profit value of the earnings will go to regenerate the environment.

The mines were closed in the wake of the environment cases pending in the Supreme Court.

In today’s order by a bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan, the National Mineral Development Corporation was allowed to proceed with its work under strict conditions imposed by the court for all mining activities.

The corporation told the court that it had obtained all statutory clearances.

Owing to the directives of the court, the Madhya Pradesh pollution control board and the Ministry of Environment and Forests the corporation had reportedly suffered a steep fall in production from 78,209 carats in 2004-05 to 48,874 carats in 2005-06.

The corporation claimed that it had obtained reconnaissance permit for diamond mining in an area of 2,010 sq km at Panna/Satna areas of Madhya Pradesh.