New Delhi: The Supreme Court yesterday cancelled all leases for iron ore extraction in 49 category C mines — with the highest degree of illegal mining — in Bellary, Tumkur and Chitradurga districts of Karnataka.
The apex court’s forest bench of Justice Aftab Alam, Justice K S Radhakrishnan and Justice Ranjan Gogoi, while accepting the recommendations of the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) on green matters in its February 3, 2012 report, said the “leases in respect of ‘C’ Category mines will stand cancelled....”
Category C mines are those in which the CEC detected the highest level of illegal mining and encroachment. There are lesser illegal activities in Category B mines, and the least violation of laws in Category A ones.
Justice Gogoi said: “The proceeds of the sales of the iron ore of the ‘C’ category mines made through the monitoring committee will stand forfeited to the state. The monitoring committee will remit the amounts held by it on this account to the SPV (special purpose vehicle) for utilisation in connection with the purposes for which it had been constituted.”
The court confirmed its earlier order permitting mining activities in 18 category A mines.
The court, however, put an embargo on mining activities under seven mining leases, in the Karnataka-Andhra Pradesh border region.
The court said mining activities under the seven mining leases would remain suspended till the boundary between the two states was demarcated.
The court vacated its earlier order restraining issuance of fresh mining leases.
“Grant of fresh mining leases and consideration of pending applications be dealt with in accordance with law, the directions contained in the present order as well as the spirit thereof,” the court said.
IANS
