he Central Empowered Committee (CEC) informed the Supreme Court on Friday that mining operations in 63 iron ore leases falling in category B in Karnataka may be allowed to be resumed after fulfillment of certain conditions.
Senior advocate Shyam Divan, appointed amicus curiae in the case, told the forest bench headed by Justice Aftab Alam that the iron ore mines falling into category B can be allowed to resume quarrying activists after completion of the reclamation and rehabilitation (R&R) work and paying appropriate compensation for the massive ecological loss caused by them due to largescale illegal mining.
The CEC has recommended that the 63 category B leases, in the state’s Bellary, Chitradurga and Tumkur districts, must pay compensation at the rate of `5 crores per hectare of area under illegal mining pits and `1 crore per hectare of area under illegal mining over burden dumps, roads, offices, etc., outside the sanctioned area. The recommended amount is minimum base figure for compensation and the National Green Tribunal (NGT) or another appropriate authority can be approached for more compensation for environmental damage, the CEC report added.
The CEC has put the leases of the iron ore mines into A, B and C categories based on the level of illegalities and irregularities allegedly resorted by them.
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