New Delhi: Mining operations in Karnataka are likely to resume from Tuesday, a senior state government official said.

After a ban of more than a year, the Supreme Court on Monday allowed iron ore extraction on 18 leases in Karnataka but warned that any violation of norms could result in a revocation of the permiss

In April, the court ordered 45 mines to seek government nod to resume operations

The Supreme Court has allowed 18 mines to resume iron ore mining in Karnataka, the country's second-largest supplier, after a suspension of over a year on environment concerns, Justice Aftab Alam and Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai said on Monday. The output from the re-started mines will be in addition to state-run NMDC's 1 million tonnes per month, which was cleared by the Supreme Court for production from August 6, 2011.

The Karnataka government has initiated several measures to curb illegal movement and the possibility of pilferage of iron ore in the state. The move comes after the direction of the Supreme Court and the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) in the recent past.

In an affidavit submitted to the Apex Court last week, chief secretary of the state S V Ranganath has said that the Mines and Geology Department has introduced the e-permit system to curb illegal transport of iron ore.

For the steel ministry starved of iron ore supply, there is good news as the Supreme Court is expected to state on Monday as to how many mining leases in Karnataka, presently closed under Court ord

Expert panel says effective checks and balances in place to ensure work in scientific manner

Iron ore mining in Karnataka is set to restart with the Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC) on Thursday giving the green signal to ‘A category’ of mines in the State to resume operations, provided they have all approvals in place. In the report submitted to the apex court, the panel said a system of effective checks and balances has been put in place to ensure that mining takes place in a scientific manner. A total 18 mines come under category A, which recorded least irregularities or no irregularities, and of which one mine has all the approvals required.

Samaj Parivartana Samudaya on Monday alleged that the Supreme Court-constituted Central Empowered Committee (CEC) had erred by recommending that sixteen ‘A’ category companies be allowed to restart mining operations in the State.

Addressing reporters, founder-president of the Samudaya, S R Hiremath, said a majority of these companies were involved in large-scale irregularities in mining. “It is a big question how and why the CEC took a U-turn on the issue, brought these companies under the category ‘A’ and recommended grant of permission to them to resume mining.

Samaj Parivarthan Samudaya (SPS), the main petitioner in the public interest petition on illegal mining in Karnataka, has appealed to the Supreme Court for scrapping of all mining leases in Category ‘A’, which fall in the forest areas in the three districts of Bellary, Chitradurga and Tumkur.

In a submission filed to the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) of the Supreme Court, in response to the SC direction on August 17, 2012, the non-government organisation has appealed for the cancellation of mining leases in Category B and C and impose suitable fine on them.