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Large scale illegal mining in India
Acknowledging large scale illegal mining in various states, the government on
August 24, 2010 said this could lead to a nexus between criminal
and anti-national elements, especially in Naxal-affected areas. Making a statement on illegal mining in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State
for Mines B K Handique said a Commission of Inquiry has been set up to
look into the extent of illegal mining. The Commission, which would present its report within 18 months, would
identify persons or firms responsible and ascertain if there had been
any tampering of official records relating to land and boundaries. Several reports "clearly point to the fact that mining, raising,
transportation and export of iron ore and manganese ore illegally or
without lawful authority in many states are taking place on a large scale," Handique said.
Due to rise in demand for iron ore, he said mining activity has
increased manifold, particularly in the states of Orissa, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Goa.
Recently the National Forest Rights Act (NFRA) Committee has recommended stopping work on two major industrial projects in
Orissa, Vedanta and the POSCO The N.C. Saxena report had cited many violations of the in-principle
environmental clearance given to Orissa Mining Corporation in 2008, including non-compliance with the provisions of the Forest Rights Act.
The loot of mineral wealth in India is continue since 1990, as India stepped up its
industrialisation and allied activities Government has taken 60 years to realise the tribal rights and welfare,
large scale illegal mining in various states. People also ask
- how come the sudden interest in protecting the rights of the innocent people who have been deprived of the same from the last 60 years.
Environmental Pollution
Workers affected by lung diseases
- Silicosis, a lung disease caused by breathing in silica dust, is another
grim reality in the area. Despite an official order to provide compensation to the silicosis victims, nothing has been done so far. The
workers also get affected by deadly diseases like tuberculosis and asbestosis.
Ecological Change
According to the Lok Ayukta Report,
there have been severe ecological changes due to illegal mining. Certain
species of animals, like the sloth bear, that in the Bellary reont>gion have
disappeared. Medicinal plants from the area do not grow anymore. The
entire system of rain has changed in the district of Bellary. It is reported that the entire area surrounding the mining area is denuded of
greenery and has no agricultural activity.
In a report commissioned by Ramesh and made public earlier in
August 2010, a panel of experts said the planned Vedanta project would threaten the
"very survival" of the Dongria Kondh. The panel said going ahead with the open-caste mine would have a huge
environmental impact which would "drastically alter" the region's water
supply, affecting both ecological systems and human communities.
About 120,000 trees would be felled to make way for the mine, the panel
said. Deer, antelope, elephants and the rare Golden Gecko lizard are native to
the area. Amnesty International published a report last year claiming that a
Vedanta refinery in the same area had polluted local rivers, damaged crops and disrupted the lives of the local tribe.
Spread of Maoism
The growing awareness of the links between the spread of Maoism and
tribal alienation due to mining is the government’s thinking.
UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi’s address to Congress MPs last week
said . “What is most worrying is the high degree of convergence between areas that are mineral- and
forest-rich and areas that are the arenas of tribal deprivation and Left-wing extremist
violence,” Gandhi said. “Protecting the rights of tribals and ensuring their livelihood are central to bringing about an
end to their exploitation and sense of alienation.”
Spread of Corruption
The ministry of mining and the ministry of environment & forests
(MoEF) have received over 20,000 cases of illegal mining during the last two months. "If we do the calculation, it (illegal iron ore mining and exports)
could be Rs 50,000 crore to Rs 60,000 crore. Iron ore to the extent of
Rs 50,000 crore to Rs 60,000 crore has been looted in Karnataka, " the opposition leader Siddaramaiah said.
Those engaged in illegal mining and exports had colluded with officials,
he alleged, pointing out to several checkposts of the departments of
forests, mines and geology and transport failing to check illegal transportation while being taken to ports by road.
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The minister of mines, B.K. Handique, also admits that once the mining
leases are allotted, “the Center had little stake or knowledge about
what was happening on the ground.” He recently met the finance minister
Pranab Mukherjee to suggest a “windfall tax” to stop this “profiteering”.
In Orissa, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh too it led to allegations of illegal mining
by small companies that suddenly grew extraordinarily rich.
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Orissa illegal mining
India's environment minister Jairam Ramesh
struck down a controversial mining project on August 24, 2010 by multinational Vedanta that threatened a tribal
group whose fate had been compared to the stars of the film Avatar. Jairam Ramesh rejected the proposal by British-based resource giant
Vedanta, owned by Indian businessman Anil Agarwal, to build an open-cast
bauxite mine in the Niyamgiri Hill range in the state of Orissa.
Anil Agarwal of multinational Vedanta
Dongria Kondh tribes woman with her child
The 8,000-strong Dongria Kondh tribes people believe the remote hills are
the home of their God, Niyam Raja, and rely on the land for their crops and livelihood.
The proposed 125-billion-rupee (2.7-billion-dollar) investment has
emerged as a test case in India, pitting industrial development interests against those of indigenous peoples and the environment.
Vedanta Resources sank 5.69 per cent on the London Stock Exchange in
early trade after the Niyamgiri project was rejected by the environment ministry.
Niyamgiri is the source of two major rivers, the Vansdhara and Nagvalli
that provide water for irrigation in the plains below. It is a storehouse of rare flora and fauna-the
four-horned antelope and the golden gecko being among them. The hills provide food for the tribals. Fruits that grow there are sold
in village markets. In short, the Niyamgiri Hills, the home of Niyam Raja, are at the centre of Dongria Kondh culture.
Karnatka illegal mining
The illegal iron ore mining and export scam in Karnataka is estimated to
be to the tune of Rs 60,000 crore, the Opposition Congress claimed on
August 26, 2010 as it pushed for a CBI probe and sought the resignation of Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa.
"This is the biggest scam of this century," Opposition leader Siddaramaiah alleged while participating in a debate on resignation of
Lokayukta N Santosh Hegde and illegal mining in the state. Hegde, however, withdrew his resignation on Saturday.
Referring to the disappearance of five lakh tonnes of iron ore seized at
Belekeri port, he said records at this port as well as the one in Karwar
suggested around 35 lakh tonnes of illegal mining and exports between November and February.
The extent of illegal mining in Karnataka can be gauged from the fact that
the chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa admitted that over three crore tons of iron ore worth Rs 12,000 crore was illegally shifted
out of his state. “ In 2009-10 alone 71 lakh tons of iron ore was illegally shipped out of Karnataka,” he had pointed out.
The explosive report of Lokayukta on July 28, 2011 that has put Chief Minister B S
Yeddyurappa in a spot has also brought in sharp focus the State
government's inability to curb rampant illegal mining over the past
several years. The unfair practice has resulted in illegal shipping of 2.98 crore
metric tonnes of iron ore valued at whopping Rs 12,228 crore between
2006 and 2010.
The report also exposed the fact that the ban could not check the export of large quantity of
iron ore. About 17.58 lakh metric tonnes of iron ore was illegally exported from the State after July 28, 2010 when the
government issued the ban order.
A report constituted by the LokAyukta uncovered major violations and systemic corruption in mining in Bellary, including in
the allowed geography, encroachment of forest land, massive underpayment of state mining royalties relative to the market price of iron ore and
systematic starvation of government mining entities
The search for iron in Bellary has led to the forests being stripped and the soils rendered unfit for cultivation. The most
severe impact has been on the water regime, with springs drying up and
rivers being subject to massive pollution. The mining lords of Bellary have bent the law to their will, and to their stacks of cash.
The police and other authorities in the district are largely subservient
to them. Again, while Bellary has the highest number of Mercedes cars per capita of any Indian city.
Never heard the mine-owners having opened schools and hospitals for the
poors. The one gift they are known to have made was of a crown of gold and diamonds
(valued at Rs 45 crore) to the deity at the temple of Tirupathi, The Bellary mine-owners have made
other and more substantial gifts, which are to political parties at
the time of elections. The less-than-salutary story of the Bellary mine lords is the subject of
a documentary film currently being made by Paranjoy Guha Thakurta. According to him, the
case of mining in Karnataka represents the first time that such
close links have been forged between the worlds of crime, business, and politics.
Jharkhand illegal mining
Politicians in several states are accused of enriching
themselves or their friends, including a former chief minister of the
state of Jharkhand, who is charged with extorting huge bribes in exchange for granting mining leases.
Aravali range illegal mining |
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In Haryana, despite high court strictures, illegal mining of
The Aravalli hills Range continues unabated, Admitting this trend, Haryana state minister, Kiran Choudhury said, “I recently called a meeting of
the Haryana Pollution Control Board insisting that they submit videographed reports to me so that I can keep track of what was
happening on the ground.”
The minister for environment & forests, Jairam Ramesh, is equally candid
pointing that although a great deal of mining was being carried out on
unalloted forest land, “we do not have a regulatory system that is effective enough to stop this illegal mining.”
Illegal mining in the mineral rich district of Rajasthan --
Makrana, famous for its white marbles -- has been going on flouting laws in the
process of extraction of the precious stone. That prompted Rajasthan High Court to order closure of 474 such mines.
However, the court order was restricted to paper.
In other states
SJ Mukhopadhaya, the chief justice of Gujarat high court has raised
sharp questions over the issue of illegal mining in the Geer forest area
in Junagadh district. The chief justice also opts for stringent actions against government
officers who are responsible of illegal mining, "It should be also looked into by the Collector, Mamlatdar, Circle officer and the local
police, apart from mining and forest department. First, it should be
found out that in which land, the illegal activities are going on, following which, the erring officers should be suspended, if necessary."
The chief justice has also said that, "There is no point in seizing two
trucks, just to show the work done and let go of the 98 trucks of illegal mining."
Amit Jethava, an RTI and environment activist in Junagadh had filed a
PIL before the Gujarat high court against the unprecedented illegal mining in the Geer lion sanctuary and forest area.
In a few days after filing the PIL, Jethava was shot dead by anonymous assailants. |
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