New Delhi, Aug 26 (IANS) After Bellary, the Supreme Court Friday banned iron ore mining in Tumkur and Chitradurga districts of Karnataka after an expert panel's report of widespread illegalities in these areas.


Ordering the ban, the court said the reclamation and rehabilitation of ecology in the area devastated by reckless mining will have to go together with economic activity involving industry and there had to be a balance between the two.

The apex court's forest bench of Chief Justice S.H. Kapadia, Justice Aftab Alam and Justice Swatanter Kumar gave the order following an Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report by the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) on mining activities in Tumkur and Chitradurga districts.

The court said that pending further orders, there will be a ban on mining in Tumkur and Chitradurga.

The court had imposed similar ban on mining activities in Bellary district of Karnataka on July 29, 2011.

The court directed the Indian Council for Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) to undertake macro-level EIA study in respect of Tumkur and Chitradurga and submit a reclamation and rehabilitation plan. The court had ordered similar EIA study for Bellary district by its Aug 5, 2011 order.

The court by its Aug 5 order had said that the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) will carry out its EIA in collaboration with Wildlife Institute of India and such other domain experts as decided by ICFRE in consultation with the environment and forest ministry.

The court directed the joint committee consisting the officials of the forest, mines and geology departments of Karnataka, representatives of Lokayukta of the State and that of the CEC to carry out a survey of the mining leases in Tumkur and Chitradurga districts.

The court had ordered similar survey of 99 mines in Bellary district by its May 6, 2011 order. The court Friday said that the joint committee would carry out survey in remaining Bellary mines also.

The court asked the amicus curiae Shyam Divan and Attorney General Goolam Vahanvati to tell the court as to what quantity of the existing stocks of 25 million tones iron ores could be released to meet the demand of the steel industry in and around Karnataka.

The CEC in its report has said that amount of iron ore already extracted in Bellary, Tumkur and Chitradurga is 25 million tonnes.

However, the court said that plan for the release of iron ores for steel industry to be drawn by Divan and Vahanvati would be subject to reclamation and rehabilitation of the area.

The court said that the miners, Association of Steel Industry and all other affected parties as well as the petitioner, will submit requisite inputs to CEC within two days from Friday so that the quantity to be released from the existing stock could be decided by the apex court.

"Needless to add that, apart from the quantification of the stock to be released, the modalities of sale and transportation of such stock will also be formulated and submitted to the court," the court said.

The court also asked the CEC to furnish the name of the government agency which would be in-charge of effecting sales of the existing stock and keeping the accounts of the sale proceeds including royalty payable at the rate of ten per cent of the market price.

The court directed the listing of the matter for release of iron ore stocks on Sep 2, while the other matters would come up for hearing on Sep 16.

The CEC pointed to the reckless destruction of hills in the area, which is extremely detrimental to the environment.

As some miners argued that they were not involved in illegal mining, the court said it was not taking up individual cases but looking at the macro picture.

The Supreme Court had Aug 19 issued notice to the Karnataka government and private miners after the committee sought a ban on iron ore mining in these two districts.