Odisha High Court issues order over illegal bauxite mining at Kodingamali

The Orissa High Court has directed the Secretary of State Mines department to consider and persuade within six weeks, the representation filed by Kodingamali Surakshya Manch to stop illegal mining from Kodingamali bauxite mines in Laxmipur area of Koraput district. The division bench of Chief Justice KS Jhaveri and Justice KR Mohapatra issued the direction while disposing of a PIL filed by Kodingamali Surakshya Manch on August 7^th, 2018 by President Pradeep Kumar Bagh.

The court expected the Secretary of the department to consider and dispose of the representation which Bagh had filed on April 19, 2018. When it yielded no result, Bagh had turned to the High Court. Bagh had sought a probe by the State CID-Crime Branch or CBI into illegal excavation and transportation from the bauxite mine. He had also requested direction for early disposal of the representation.

The Bench in its order said, “Considering the limited nature of grievance and without expressing any opinion on the merits of the case, the writ petition is disposed of with a direction to the Secretary of Mines and Mineral Department, Odisha, Bhubaneswar to consider and dispose of the representation of the petitioner dated April 19, 2018, as per law within six weeks from the date of receipt of certified copy of the order.”

The order was issued on December 18, 2019, though its copy was available only a day ago. The petition had presumed that Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) had endowed mining operations for extracting bauxite to a private party without conducting Gram Sabha or Palli Sabha for Kodingamali mines.

Acting on it, the court had issued notices to the secretary of the department on January 25^th’19 soliciting a reply within four weeks. As no reply was inherited till December 18^th ’19, on the same day the court decided to discard the petition, while taking into consideration only the petitioner’s April 19^th’ 2018 representation.