Members of the Central Empowered Committee visited Tumkur on Tuesday and held discussions on the impact of mining on drinking water, education, health and agriculture, among other sectors.

Deputy Commissioner R.K. Raju urged the team, comprising C.S. Joshi, Shakti Singh Chauhan and S. Ravi, to allocate more funds to the district for rehabilitation and restoration works in areas affected by mining. Though the area affected by mining in Tumkur district was larger than that in Chitradurga district, fund allocation for rehabilitation and restoration had not been done accordingly, he said. He said Rs. 10,000 crore had been allocated to Bellary, Chitradurga and Tumkur districts for rehabilitation and restoration works to be carried out in 10 years.

Once feted for being India’s highest taxpayers, miners are the new untouchables in town.

The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered iron ore mining in six leases in Andhra Pradesh’s Anantapur district to be stopped due to a pending inter-state border survey.

The court’s forest bench, which is hearing cases on illegal mining, said mining operations and transportation of ore from the six leases should be suspended till further orders.

The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear a review petition filed by the Union government contending that it was not heard before the court passed a judgment in 2010, with regard to allocation of mining leases.

The court had directed the Karnataka government to consider applications from companies to mine iron ore in the Kumaraswamy range in Karnataka’s Bellary-Hospet region, within 4 months.

New Delhi The Supreme Court on Thursday decided to reopen its 2010 judgment that had ruled against granting of mining lease to JSW Steel and Kalyani Steel in Karnataka. The reopening of the case gives some hope to these companies which are keen to do mining of iron and manganese ores at 380 hectares in Sandur.

The apex court had on September 15, 2010, quashed a December 2004 recommendation by the Karnataka government — later endorsed by the Centre — to allow mining by JSW Steel and Kalyani.

Category B leases were found to have done illegal mining outside the sanctioned areas up to 10% of the lease areas

The Supreme Court of India has directed 63 Category B mining leases in Karnataka to pay compensation for illegal mining outside the sanctioned area before allowing them to restart operations. In its latest order issued on October 1, the apex court has accepted the recommendations of amicus curiae Shyam Divan. The three-member forest bench headed by judge Aftab Alam passed directions as an absolute first step before considering resumption of operations by Category B mines.

The Supreme Court has ordered the setting up of an expert committee to ascertain the compensation to be given by mining lease holders in Karnataka for illegal extraction of iron ores and consequent

The Central Empowered Committee (CEC) informed the Supreme Court on Friday that mining operations in 63 iron ore leases falling in category B in Karnataka may be allowed to be resumed after fulfilment of certain conditions.

Senior advocate Shyam Divan, appointed amicus curiae in the case, told the forest bench headed by Justice Aftab Alam that the iron ore mines falling into category B can be allowed to resume quarrying activists after completion of the reclamation and rehabilitation (R&R) work and paying appropriate compensation for the massive ecological loss caused by them due to largescale illegal mining.

Iron ore miners are contesting the levy of a forest development tax by the forest department in Karnataka, but the levy has been incredibly beneficial for the exchequer’s coffers.

Selling Karnataka’s forest produce like grass, amla, bark, lac, honey, silk cocoons and bamboo to industries attracts a 12 per cent forest development tax or FDT. Forest officials also levy the tax on the mining of iron ore from reserve forest areas, which happens in Bellary, Chitradurga and Tumkur districts of Karnataka.