The Central Empowered Committee (CEC) appointed by the Supreme Court will hear mine owners of Odisha in New Delhi on July 22.
The CEC has given an opportunity to the lessees to present their clarifications or depositions with relevant documents before the committee between July 22 and 25 in Delhi.
The Sirajuddin Mines authorities were asked to submit their written clarifications on the allegations regarding mining law violations by July 25.
Before the CEC hearing, the State Government would have a meeting with mine owners accused of violating statutory provisions on July 18.
The meeting would work out a ‘joint strategy’ to be adopted during the CEC hearing on July 22, the sources said.
However, the CEC is likely to meet the mining lessees again before producing its final report in the Supreme Court by the end of July. Meanwhile, the four-member CEC team completed its field verifications of 11 mines in view of their alleged violation of laws by their leaseholders.
On Tuesday, the team inspected three mines in the Joda sector in Keonjhar district and two mines, Aryan Mining and JN Pattnaik Mines, in the Koira sector in Sundargarh district before returning to Bhubaneswar.
On Monday, the team had visited six mines under the Joda Mining Circle in Keonjhar district. Beginning its field visit from Essel Mines at Kasia, the team went to the RP Sao Guali mines, SN Das Mohapatra & RBT mines in Rudkela, KJS Alluwalia Nuagaon mines, BK Mohanty-Uliburu mines and Tarini Minerals Deojhar mines.
The team verified the records of Essel mines regarding a land dispute and witnessed illegal mining in forest area at the Vigilance-charge-sheeted RBT mines and BK Mohanty-Uliburu Mines. Most of the mines have been fined for excess mining beyond the permissible limits and the team detected that most mines face allegations of forest and environment violations too.
The team asked the miners to present their depositions relating to the mining law violations, MCR-37 (the rule that prohibits subleasing or subletting of lease in any form) and other issues before the CEC immediately.
Mines Secretary G Srinivas, Mines Director Deepak Mohanty, IBM RO Mantu Biswas, Conservator of Forests Subash Swain, Keonjhar Collector BP Sahoo and other Government officers accompanied the team on its visit and provided information on behalf of the State Government.