The Justice M.B.Shah Commission enquiring into the
illegal mining cases may once again visit Odisha in February. According to
sources in the state steel and mines department, the Commission which had
visited twice last year, is likely to give more opportunity the aggrieved
parties i.e. the miners and the state government. In
its recent communication to State Government, the Commission has sent a
questionnaire and the officials are busy in replying it point by point.
It
may be noted that both the Odisha government and the miners have requested the
commission to provide them one last chance to present their sides. Accordingly
as per the permission of the commission the Eastern Zone Miner’s Association (EZMA)
had presented its side through senior Supreme Court Advocate Abhishek Manu
Singhvi and Odisha High Court Lawyer Ashok Parida at the commission’s office at
Ahmedabad. On the other hand the state
government had also applied through Advocate General Ashok Mohanty and senior
SC lawyers U.U.Lalit, Shibashish Misha and Subhransu Padhi.
Both the parties maintained that their versions needed to be heard
before the Commission finalizes its report. It is presumed
that Justice Shah may hear such representations during its forthcoming sitting
in Bhubaneswar.
Reported by Tapan Moharana
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