A four-member team of the Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC) led by PV Jayakrishna reached Barbil in Keonjhar district after arriving in Bhubaneswar on Saturday for a three-day field visit to 11 different mines under the Joda mining circle in Keonjhar district and Koira mining circle in Sundargarh district.
It is the second visit of a CEC team and said to be the last one before submission of the CEC’s final report to the Supreme Court by July 30.Jayakrishna, accompanied by other members Mahendra Vyas, SK Pattnaik and MK Mutthu, held preliminary discussions with the district revenue, forest and mining officials of Keonjhar and Sundargarh districts to gather specific information on some mining lessees immediately after their arrival here.
local elected representatives also met the team members to present their views and grievances on the mining scenario.The closure of mines has badly affected the local economy rendering lakhs of people unemployed, for which reopening of mines is highly necessary, they pleaded.If illegal mining was going on for years, why action was not taken on this at that timeIJ let all enquiry into the misdoings be completed soon and steps to continue legal mining begin at the earliest, demanded Champua MlA Sanatan Mahakud.
On Sunday, the CEC team is expected to visit the Vigilance-chargesheeted BK Mohanty Uliburu Mines, Rambahadur Thakur mines, Essel mines, Kasia mines, RP Sao and Kaypee Enterprises of KJS Alluwalia.“We are doing our best,” team member Patnaik only told the media.While 67 per cent of the mining leases have allegedly violated environment and forest laws, only 20 out of 120 iron and manganese leases are operational in Keonjhar district.