Supreme Court suspends mining activity in Bellary

New Delhi, July 30 (ANI): The Supreme Court has suspended the mining of iron ore in 10,868 hectares in Karnataka's Bellary District.

A special bench headed by Chief Justice S H Kapadia on Friday said: "We are of the view that the mining of iron ore in Bellary be suspended immediately till further orders."

The apex court bench said the Ministry of Environment and Forests will, meanwhile, come out with an interim report on the requirement of the iron ore for the country's steel industry.

The bench further said the Ministry of Environment and Forests will also spell out as to how much of iron ore is required for the domestic industry and how much needs to be imported.

The directions of the apex court came after it accepted Attorney General G E Vahanvati's submission that the Ministry of Environment and Forests will come out with the report in consultation with other ministries concerned-mines, steel and commerce.

The apex court bench, which took environmental degradation into account for suspending the mining activities in Bellary, passed the order after reading in detail the latest report of the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) which had said that the illegal mining was going on not only in a rampant manner, but it was also causing irreversible environmental degradation. (ANI)