The committe has said that 187 iron ore and manganese mines in the state are guilty of a host of violations
After Karnataka and Goa, the Odisha government could be rocked by charges of illegal mining.
A report by a Central Empowered Committee (CEC) set up by the Supreme Court has found that 187 iron ore and manganese mines in the state are guilty of a host of violations, including mining in violation of environment and forest laws, and the excess mining of ore. It estimates a total loss to the government of Rs 17,000 crores.
The report, which will be submitted to the Court today, rejects claims by the state government that mining in the state was within the law. The CEC was set up after the Shah Commission on mining triggered a political storm by claiming to have found illegal ore worth Rs 60,000 crore mined in Odisha.
The report says that "senior officers of the state government from the Chief Secretary downwards cannot escape responsibility for brazen violations".
It goes on to say that "PSU Companies and well-known corporates figure prominently in the list of violators" and that the state government-run Odisha Mining Company (OMC) is a major violator that heads the pack.