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Panel may order recovery of Rs 60,000 crore from Odisha miners

-The Times of India


NEW DELHI: Union Cabinet on Thursday referred the MB Shah commission of inquiry report on illegal mining in Odisha to the committee of secretaries (CoS) to suggest further action which may include recovery of nearly Rs 60,000 crore from the miners and a CBI probe into roles of public servants in allocating mines to private companies.

The commission has severely indicted both the Centre and the Odisha government on illegal mining of iron and manganese ores in its 5-volume report and it is bound to be a political hot potato for the BJD government as well as the Congress ahead of next year's Lok Sabha poll.

The CoS, comprising secretaries of mines, environment and law, will submit its suggestions to the government which is supposed to table the commission's findings along with 'action taken report' in the Parliament.

Finance minister P Chidambaram said the Cabinet has asked the CoS to formulate an action taken report (ATR), which along with the Shah commission report, will be tabled in Parliament.

He, however, refused to divulge the details of the report, saying, "It is the first report, and I think it is in 4 or 5 volumes. We are asking the CoS to draw up the ATR. The report of the Shah commission, appointed under the Commissions of Inquiry Act, must be placed before House together with an action taken report. The ATR will be drafted by a CoS and then the Cabinet will take a final view on that."

Besides indicting both the Centre and the Odisha government, the commission also asked the state to recover over Rs 59,203 crore from the miners and use the amount for the development of two districts, Keonjhar and Sundergarh, "badly affected by illegal excess mining".

It also recommended granting all future mining leases via auction route only and asked the government to revisit environment clearances given to all 55 mining leases which are located along the Baitarni river. Till the completion of the exercise, "the mines may be closed", it said.