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Notices issued to Centre, M.P. on ‘illegal mines’

BHOPAL: A division bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court presided over by Chief Justice A. K. Pattnaik and Justice Prakash Srivastava has issued notices returnable within a month to Union of India, Central Pollution Control Board, State Government and its departments concerned on a public interest litigation raising the issue of a large number of mines said to be operating illegally in the State.

A PIL by Ajay Dubey, Secretary of the NGO Prayatna, challenging an admitted figure of “1165 illegal mines”, said to be functioning without any environmental clearance across the State, came up for hearing before the High Court on Wednesday.

Counsel for the petitioner, Siddharth Gupta contended that under mining laws a mining plan was to be submitted by the applicant seeking lease at the time of application. It is mandatory for the mining plan to incorporate the restoration, rehabilitation and reclamation of environment and land to be adversely affected by mining. In the present case, he contended, there was prima facie material to show that proper procedure had been bypassed.

The High Court has asked the State Pollution Control Board to submit an affidavit providing detailed status of mines working without its permission before March 13, the next date of hearing.

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Notices issued to Centre, M.P. on ‘illegal mines’

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