The Supreme Court on Friday put an interim ban on all iron ore and manganese mining in Goa after a PIL citing the Justice Shah Commission report alleged that illegal mining activity in the state had cost the exchequer INR 35,000 crore.

A bench of Justices Aftab Alam, KS Radhakrishnan and Swatanter Kumar took note of the Justice MB Shah Commission report and asked the apex court's environment committee Central Empowered Committee to submit a preliminary report in four weeks after examining the illegalities alleged by petitioner Goa Foundation and the lacunae found by the commission.

On the request of amicus curiae ADN Rao, the bench also ordered a complete ban on transportation of mined mineral, whether lying at the site or in storage heads, within Goa to stop the illegally mined material from being taken out of the state.

The court issued notice to the Centre, Goa government, state pollution control board and ministry of environment and forests after the petitioner alleged that illegal mining was going on in an overwhelming majority of the mines.

Source - Times of India

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