Days after it was reported that the Justice MB Shah Commission of Inquiry on the massive illegal mining in Odisha has recommended a CBI probe into the scam, it has now been revealed that the commission has also recommended recovery of Rs 60,000 crore from mine owners towards illegally mined iron ore and manganese.
The commission has severely indicted both the Central and Odisha Governments for illegal mining in its five-volume report and asked the State Government to recover over Rs 59,203 crore from the miners. “All modes of illegal mining” are being carried out in the State and “It appears that law has been made helpless because of its systematic non-implementation,” the commission has reportedly remarked.
The panel has also recommended using the recovered amount for development of two districts, Keonjhar and Sundargarh, “which are badly affected by illegal excess mining”. It has also found large-scale violation of environment and forest laws, rules and notifications.
Out of the 192 mining leases of iron and manganese ores in the State, “130 lessees are/were noted to be doing production without lawful authority” in violation of the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) notifications of 1994 and 2006, the commission has said.
Moreover, 94 mines were found to be operating without environment clearance (EC), while 96 obtained delayed ECs, the Commission said. “Overall, 109 mining leases are/were working under deemed extension and doing production in violation of EIA, 1994 and 2006.”
The commission has fund that iron ore worth over Rs 45,453 crore and manganese worth over Rs 3,089 crore has been extracted “illegally and without lawful authority” by the miners in violation of EC conditions alone.
It has also traced freight evasion cases by iron ore exporters, who move the mineral under domestic movement category by showing false excise certificates and recommended that the Railways should ask the CBI to investigate the cases.
For movement of iron ore, the Railways has two tariff structures, domestic (having lower tariffs) and other than domestic (having higher tariffs). By 2010-11, charges for domestic movement of iron ore were one-fifth of that of other than domestic.
The Railways has informed that notices have been sent to 14 companies for recovery of Rs 1,874 crore on account of freight evasion, the commission has noted.