Illegal mining in india

ILLEGAL MINING IN INDIA

Abhishek C. Patil

Before Mining

What is mining?Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals

or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, lode, vein, (coal) seam or reef, which forms the mineralized horizon and package of economic interest to the miner.

India has some 2,600 active mines.

India's metal and mining industry was estimated to be $106.4bn (£68.5bn) in 2010.

The Darya-i-Noor diamond from the Iranian Crown Jewels, originally from the mines of Golconda, Andhra Pradesh.

Where India stands in mining?

Kohinoor Diamond, world’s costliest and the beautiful Diamond till date, was excavated 200 years back from the Golconda mines.

Leading producer of mica blocks, approximately 60% of the net mica production of the world.

Second largest chromite and barytes producer in the world in 2008.

Third in production of coal and lignite. Fourth largest in coal reserves.Fourth largest iron ore producer.Fifth largest bauxite, crude steel and

manganese ore producer.Seventh in manganese ore.Eighth position in aluminum.Twelve percent of the world’s known and

economically available thorium.

Major mining statesOrissa JharkhandChattisgarhKarnataka MaharashtraAndhra PradeshTamil naduMadhya PradeshWest BengalGoa Rajasthan

Contribution to economy “The contribution of mining to India’s GDP

has been stagnant at 1.2% over the past one decade, whereas contribution of the sector is 6% in Chile, 5.9% in Australia, 5.3% in South Africa and 2.9% in Chile.”

In the year 2010-2011 mineral worth Rs 2,00,000 crore was produced in India.

The Indian government has fixed its sights on a 9 per cent rate of economic growth with mining.

Illegal mining Illegal mining is the most brazen criminality

that involves the extraction of minerals from land, that a mine operator has no legal right to work on.

The reason for this being, stupendous increase in the global prices for minerals such as iron, manganese, coal etc.

Major areas subject to illegal miningBellary in Karnataka Jahria in JharkhandAravalli ranges – Western ghatsAlwar district in RajasthanGoa Angul district in Orissa Raniganj in West BengalMorena district in Madhya Pradesh

Underpayment of royalties to state

There is a huge difference in the market price of the ore and the royalty specified by the government as well as faulty measurement mechanisms of amount of ore extracted.

It was found that 35 lakh (3.5 Million) tonnes of ore were illegally exported without paying a rupee of royalty to the exchequer, resulting in a loss of about Rs. 16,085 crores in Bellary.

As per the central empowered committee (CEC) on illegal mining the loss to the exchequer is termed as "huge and enormous" and the illegal export of the huge consignment as "the rarest of rare" in the annals of the country.

Repercussions of extensive miningWorkers affecting from diseasesEg: Silicosis, tuberculosis and asbestosis.Affects ecological balance due to opencast

mining, instead of underground mining.Disappearance of animals like Sloth bear in

bellary region.Reduction in growth of medicinal plants.Affects monsoon. Adversely affects agricultural activity.

Due to extensive underground mining, it results in coal fires

Eg: Jahria (Jharkhand) is a victim of coal fires.

Emission of green house gases due to coal fires.

Soil erosion near river banks. If the mining sites are near bodies of water,

chemicals disposed can also poison the water and the fish, it can also destroy beautiful coral reefs.

Emergence of mining mafia.

Fertile land can also be affected, land can become very hard and dry, because of the chemicals as well.

Also, if you build the mines on forest lands, the habitat of countless land species may be destroyed and those species may die.

Illegal mining and stone crushing in the Ganges river bed Illegal mining in the Ganges river bed for

stones and sand for construction work has been a long problem in Haridwar district, Uttarakhand. This is despite the fact that quarrying has been banned in Kumbh Mela area zone covering 140 square km area in Haridwar. On june 14, Swami Nigamanada, a 34-year old monk who was fasting since February 19, 2011 against illegal mining and stone crushing along the Ganges near Haridwar, died at the Himalayan hospital in Jollygrant in Dehradun, after alleged poisoning by stone-crushing mafia.

Mining mafia Amit Jethava, an RTI and environment

activist in Junagadh had filed a PIL before the Gujarat high court against the unprecedented illegal mining in the Geer lion sanctuary and forest area. In a few days after filing the PIL, Jethava was shot dead by anonymous assailants.

In November 2011, a social activist, sister Valsa, was murdered in Pakur district of Jharkhand and the finger of suspicion was pointed at the powerful coal mafia.

Mahendra Singh (46), a head constable posted at Sagarpara police outpost, was crushed by a truck which came to Dholpur carrying illegally-mined gravel from Morena (MP) on Tuesday.

A young IPS officer of the 2009 batch, Narendra Kumar, was brutally crushed to death under a stone-laden tractor trolley belonging to the illegal mining mafia.

Contempt of Court In Bellary district of Karnataka despite the

stay order on exporting the iron ore, 35 lakh tones of iron ore was exported to other countries.

The Supreme Court observing the extent of illegal mining held that "If the state machinery were working properly without turning a blind eye, all this would not have happened. See the magnitude,"

Reasons:

Greed

Political Clout

Irresponsible government

Because…..The former Union minister for state of mines,

admits that once the mining leases are allotted, “the government had little stake or knowledge about what was happening on the ground.”

The ministry of mining and the ministry of environment & forests (MoEF) have received over 20,000 cases of illegal mining in 2011.

S.R. Hiremath

Founder, Samaja Parivarthana Samudaya (NGO) in Dharwad, Karnataka in 1984. who is fighting against illegal mining in

Karnataka in Supreme Court.

He says:“I came back here from the

US many years ago, so that can take up various issues and lead a responsible life. The fight has been tough; the path has been very hard, but yes I am satisfied today although there is much work remaining”.

Heights……

Recommendations

To make mining a public enterprise and not private.

To ban mining in forest areas.To have strict measures in issuing

licenses to carry out mining.To supervise regularly the mining

activities.To have stringent laws against

those violating norms.

Until the last drop of water evaporates..

Until the last tree is cut down..

Until the last molecule of oxygen disappears..

Till then……

Man, will not realize that money cannot be eaten..

Bibliography http://

www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/SC-shocked-over-magnitude-of-illegal-mining/Article1-918289.aspx

http://mines.nic.in/writereaddata%5CContentlinks%5C8b8068968b7542b0a1ebf77c9862c654.pdf

http://mining.about.com/od/OperationsManagement/a/What-Is-Illegal-Mining.htm

http://www.miningweekly.com/article/india-introduces-measures-to-curb-illegal-mining-2011-05-23