Summary
Reviewing iron-ore production restrictions imposed after extensive illegal mining in Karnataka, the Court accepted revised caps for categoryA andB mines based on scientific rehabilitation plans and changed infrastructure. Newly auctioned former categoryC mines were treated separately, with any independent aggregate cap to be considered at an appropriate later stage.
Issues
- Whether improved scientific assessment and infrastructure warranted revision of district production caps.
- How public-sector production and newly auctioned former categoryC mines should be treated.
Held
- The original caps responded to uncontrolled output, forest encroachment and environmental degradation. Mine-specific reclamation and rehabilitation plans, revised reserve assessments and infrastructure improvements justified accepting the Central Empowered Committee’s revised limits. Pending proposals to enhance maximum permissible annual production were to be decided without delay, subject to those caps. (¶ 16)
- For categoryA andB mines, the Bellary district annual cap increased from25 to28million metric tonnes, and the combined Tumkur–Chitradurga cap from5 to7million metric tonnes. NMDC and MML were permitted12 and2million metric tonnes respectively for2017–18; from2018–19 they were to operate at approved rehabilitation-plan limits within the district cap. (¶¶ 12, 16, 18)
- Newly auctioned former categoryC mines operate under a different regime and were not to be jeopardized by inclusion in the categoryA/B cap. No separate aggregate cap was fixed for them at this stage; an independent cap could be worked out later with regard to infrastructure and other relevant mining and evacuation parameters. (¶ 17–18)
Result
Interlocutory applications disposed of by accepting the Committee’s recommendations for categoryA/B mines, subject to the stated separate treatment and future consideration of an independent cap for newly auctioned former categoryC mines.