Illegal mining on the rise in Orissa: SGAT

BHUBANESWAR: Alleging an increase in illegal mining, the Society of Geoscientists and Allied Technologies (SGAT) on Sunday asked the Orissa government to quickly frame a mineral policy claiming unmined areas reserved for companies were more vulnerable to plunder.

"There is a significant increase in illegal mining, smuggling and trading of iron and manganese ore since early 2008 when the prices rose to about Rs 8,000 per tonne for high grade calibrated iron ore," B K Mohanty and R C Mohanty of SGAT told reporters here.

Unveiling a "Mineral Development Vision" for Orissa, they said the lure of easy money led exporters, transporters, crusher owners, stockists, middlemen and gangsters to mine wherever they could without any tangible resistance, causing largescale deforestation.

Places vulnerable to illegal mining and trading include unmined areas reserved for companies like POSCO and those fields where Intention of Grant for mining has been communicated to companies, but actual work has not started, the SGAT document alleged.

Vulnerable places also include areas held under prospecting license over which applications have been filed for grant of mining lease, leased areas where there is no work is on and surrendered areas, B K Mohanty said.

He said delay in framing of a mining policy and issue of executive instructions were among the reasons for uncontrollable increase in illegal mining.