The State Government has already recovered 12, 982.70 crore from defaulting mine owners and is pursuing coercive action for recovery of the balance amount. According to official sources, the State Government informed this to the Supreme Court in an affidavit recently. Notably, the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) had on January 17, 2018 directed the State Government to take coercive action and collect Rs 19, 174.38 crore from the 131 defaulting mining lessees.
Earlier, the Government had collected Rs 8,289.87 crore by December 31, 2017.
Officials revealed that the State Government is initiating steps for determination of leases and taking steps for recovering the unpaid amounts under the provisions of Orissa Public Demands Recovery (OPDR) Act, 1962.
For determination of mining leases, notices have been issued to 54 mining leases out of 55 defaulting cases.
32 notices have been challenged before the Orissa High Court and the Central Government Revisional Authority, said sources.
At least six cases have been filed in the High Court, 26 cases filed with the Central Government Revisional Authority.
While the High Court has not stayed the notices, the Central Authority has stayed 21 cases out of 26.
In order to facilitate recovery, the State Government has constituted a State-level Taskforce and district-level Taskforce.
The State-level taskforce, which comprised Steel and Mines Secretary, Mines Director, Commissioner of Commercial Taxes and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Economic Offence Wing (EOW), is monitoring and facilitating the process of recovery of defaulted dues under the OPDR Act.
District-level Taskforce headed by district Collector, officials said.
At least 54 certificate cases have been filed by District Magistrates against the defaulting mining lessees.
In the meantime, an updated list of 47 defaulting iron ore, manganese ore leases, for which demand raised under Section 21(5) of the MMDR Act on account of violations of Environment and Forest Clearances, have not been paid in full and this has been informed to the apex court, said sources.