The Union Cabinet has referred the Shah Commission report on illegal mining in Odisha to the committee of secretaries, said Finance Minister P. Chidambaram on Thursday.
“It is a voluminous report. We are asking a committee on secretaries to draw the action taken report,” Chidambaram told reporters after the Cabinet meeting. Together with the action taken report, the Shah Commission report will be tabled in Parliament.
“The Cabinet is aware of the contents of the Shah Commission report,” the Finance Minister said in reply to a query.
In its report on illegal mining in Odisha, the Justice M.B. Shah Commission has reportedly indicted both the Centre and the State Government on illegal mining of iron and manganese ore. It also asked the Odisha 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 said.
It has also recommended using the recovered amount for the development of two districts, Keonjhar and Sundergarh, “which are badly affected by illegal excess mining”.
It also found large-scale violation of environment and forest laws, rules and notifications, an agency report said.
According to the Commission, iron ore worth over Rs 45,453 crore and manganese ore worth over Rs 3,089 crore has been extracted “illegally and without lawful authority” by miners in Odisha in violation of environment clearances alone, reports said.