CEC team in Odisha to probe illegal mining

Odisha Channel Bureau Bhubaneswar: A two-member team of the Supreme Court appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC) arrived in Odisha on Monday on a two-day visit to conduct an independent assessment of the status of mines under deemed extension.The team will also study the effect of the Supreme Court’s May 16 order regarding temporary closure of 26 mines in the State, according to sources.On the first day of its visit, the team will discuss the status of iron ore and manganese mines in the State with senior government officials.On Tuesday, the team will have a meeting with the mining leaseholders and other stakeholders.The CEC had earlier submitted an interim report to the Supreme Court regarding the status of mines under deemed extension based on the recommendations of the State government.A large number of mines had been operating on deemed extension in the State.The other issues that the CEC team will discuss with the State government officials include lease-wise status of the encroachments outside the sanctioned lease boundaries by way illegal mining pits, illegal over burden dumps and other purposes.The team was also likely to discuss about specific cases of large scale illegal mining such as those related to Uliburu forest land and alleged illegal mining Ram Bahadur Thakur Limited.