Above: A TV grab of a coal mine in Lalmatia, Godda. Photo: UNI

The Supreme Court on Thursday (December 14) increased the cap on production of iron ore from the present 30 million metric tons per annum to 35 million metric tons per annum for categories A and B mines.

The Court made the decision after it was informed that the steel mills in Karnataka were reeling under iron ore shortage.

The bench comprising of Justices Ranjan Gogoi and R Banumathi was acting on the plea seeking clampdown on illegal extraction of natural wealth and resources in forest areas of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

Samaj Parivartan Samuday, a registered society, had filed a petition under Article 32 of the constitution, stating that illegal mining in the two states was still going on in full swing. Such illegal mining and transportation of illegally mined minerals were being done in connivance with the officials, politicians and even ministers of the states.

The allegation also was that there was a complete lack of action on the part of the Ministry of Environment and Forests on the one hand and the states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, on the other.

It was also averred that there was a complete breakdown of the official machinery, thereby allowing such blatant illegalities to take place. This inaction and callousness on the part of the central and the state governments and failure on their part to control the illegal mining has allowed large-scale destruction of forest and non-forest lands and has adversely affected the livelihood of the people.

—India Legal Bureau