State to submit report on illegal mining to SC panel

The Karnataka government has constituted a team of high-ranking officers drawn from the departments of mining and geology, forest and revenue will prepare a consolidated report on some of the matters pertaining to illegal mining in Bellary. This follows the interaction between the state government with the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) of the Supreme Court during its recent visit to the Sandur-Hospet mining areas.

According to a press statement issued by chief minister B S Yeddyurappa’s press secretary here on Thursday, the team of officers would furnish the detailed reply with supporting documents within a week for some of the questions raised by the CEC.

During the interaction with the chief minister, chief secretary S V Ranganath and other senior officials of various departments on March 25 and March 28, the CEC had sought detailed replies for some of the matters.

The Supreme Court had appointed the CEC to submit a detailed report following a writ petition filed by a Dharwad-based non-governmental organisation, Samaj Parivarthan Samudaya, in 2009.

“The senior officials of the state government have already provided suitable replies to many of the queries raised by the CEC during their visit to the state last week. In the background of the complexity of the situation the CEC desired to visit the area to understand the problems on first hand. They visited Bellary district, especially Sandur taluk on March 26 and March 27 and covered about 11 mines,” the statement said.

The CEC appreciated some of the steps taken by the government in banning iron ore export and cancellation of the private stockyards. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are being used in the state for aerial monitoring of mining and transportation of iron ore. During the CEC’s visit to mining area, the UAV demonstration was conducted and videography by the UAVs have been provided to the CEC, the statement said.

It may be recalled here the chief minister had announced on the floor of the house last year that over 30 million tonnes of iron ore had been smuggled out of the state. The state has initiated stern action against the offenders and issued notices to over 165 mineral traders involved in the illegal trade. With these steps, the state government expects to recover about Rs 700 crore from the mining companies.

According to preliminary estimates, over Rs 3,000 crore worth of iron ore has been transported out of the state without valid permits. In order to recover the money, a special team is being constituted and if necessary, a special law will be formulated.

The CEC has also been promised that the government is committed to taking strict action on those officers or employees responsible for illegal orders, omissions or commissions as per the law.