SAIL counters Shah Commission findings, says it broke no rule

Countering the findings of Justice M B Shah Commission on illegal mining in Odisha, steel maker SAIL has claimed that it has not violated environment or forest laws and has replied to notices sent by the state government.
"Some notices have been received and we have replied also. Let the things happen as they have to happen. We are complying with all the rules and regulations. We are not violating any rule and all that, you know...," SAIL Chairman C S Verma told PTI.
On the Commission's certain observations against the company, he said that SAIL being a state-owned firm carries out mining only after securing the requisite clearances.

"There are certain observations which have been made by the Shah Commission. We are complying with all the rules and regulations whatever they are," he said.
In its report, the Commission had indicted SAIL, along with several other firms, for violating several rules and regulations.
The first part of the report was tabled in Parliament in February this year.

In the report, the Commission has said that SAIL's two iron ore mines, Bolani and Kalta-Barsua, were among 148 mines which had extracted the ore over and above the permissible limit during 2000-01 to 2009-10.
The Commission estimated the value of the excess ore, mined by SAIL's two mines at over Rs 5,376 crore.

The two mines obtained delayed environment clearance and carried out production in the interim. Besides, they used raising contractors or middle man to frustrate Rule-37 of Mineral Concession Rules (MCR), 1960, which bars them from assigning mines to other entities, the Commission had said.
On this, Verma claimed that "we are getting all the clearances, only then we are carrying on the mining activity".
He, however, did not reply to a question whether SAIL would be paying back the money as claimed by the Odisha government for the excess production. He merely said, "We are complying with all rules."
Bolani iron ore mine is among the major captive producing mines of SAIL with a capacity of over 4 million tonnes. However, it was among the 55 mines that were found to have severely polluted Baitarni river and its catchment area by the Commission.

Commenting on this, a company official said that projects for ecology restoration of mined out area and bio-diversity conservation of the mining area have already been initiated at the Bolani mines and the work had started much before the Shah Commission gave its report.
The company is now looking to raise output from the mine to 10 million tonnes annually and has already secured forest and environment clearances for the project.