Orissa forms committee to verify records of mines

BHUBANESWAR - The Orissa government has formed a five-member committee headed by the director of mines to verify records of all the mines in the state, an official said Tuesday.

“The government has constituted a committee to monitor the verification of records of all the mining leases and renewal of mining leases and prepare a status report”, the steel and mines department official told IANS.

The government has formed the committee following a direction of the central empowered committee of the Supreme Court which heard the alleged mining scam in the state.

“The committee has been asked to submit a report by May 10 so as to enable the government to furnish the response to the central empowered committee,” he said.

The members of the committee are the conservator of forest, a senior scientist of the Orissa state pollution board, a mining engineer and a joint director at directorate of mines.

“The panel while monitoring verification of records will specifically ensure whether the well settled principles of law have been adhered to while granting and renewing the leases,” he said.

Investigations into illegal mining in Orissa by various state and central agencies started after it was alleged in July last year that some mines were being operated without licences.

Operations in more than 100 mines in the state have been halted since then as officials found them working without statutory clearances.

Since January, more then 150 people have been arrested mostly from the mineral-rich Keonjhar district for their involvement in illegal mining. Police have slapped the National Security Act against four of them.

Police said many of the arrested people had formed a syndicate and were earning crores of rupees by illegally mining and transporting iron ore from the state. Police said they were also involved in several murders and extortion cases.