BHUBANESWAR: Even as the State Government on Friday sought the Centre’s help in curbing illegal mining in Orissa by alleging that it is not getting the required cooperation from ports, customs and the Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM), a Centrally-appointed commission of inquiry is all set to start probe into illegal iron ore mining in the State from next month. Justice M B Shah Commission, which is inquiring into illegal iron ore mining in Goa, is expected to visit the State next month. Sources said the commission will wait for its inquiry in Goa to be over, or if it is delayed, will start work in Orissa from mid-November.Meanwhile, Chief Secretary Bijay Kumar Patnaik, in a letter reportedly written to Union Cabinet Secretary Ajit Kumar Seth, has said ports and customs authorities should set up requisite systems for monitoring and sharing information on a regular basis with the State on mineral exported from Orissa. Referring to a meeting with the Cabinet Secretary on May 20 last year, Bijay pointed out that though the Ministry of Shipping had advised all ports to adopt the measures taken by Paradip Port Trust (PPT) authorities to streamline movement of consignment by roads and rail to the ports for export purpose, no ports implement it. The Ministry of Shipping, Bijay said, may be advised to ensure that the details of ore received at different ports are supplied to the Director of Mines, Orissa, to correlate with the quantity for which royalty payment has been made by the lessees. Similarly, the Chief Secretary said the customs authorities, at various ports located in other States, are “equally irregular” in submitting details of the minerals exported through the ports even though a decision was taken at the meeting of secretaries that such details should be shared by the customs department with the State Government.
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