Illegal Mining

IN NEWS:

• The Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) has flagged the issue of illegal transportation of manganese ore, leading to massive losses of revenue in Odisha.

MORE ON NEWS:

• The IBM informed the Ministry of Steel and Mines that mining lease holders in Odisha were dispatching manganese ore as low-grade from their mines to the traders operating from West Bengal, who subsequently sold it as high-grade without any processing. The bureau examined the issue regarding the Siljora Kalimati iron and manganese ore mines.
• In November 2022, the Ministry alerted the Odisha Government about the under-reporting of grades of chromite and manganese ores.
• It had recommended the State Government come up with Standard Operating Procedure for preventing loss of revenue due to the declaration of higher-grade ores as lower-grade.

STATISTICS:

• According to a report by the Union Environment Ministry, between 2013 and 2017, 4,16,000 incidents of illegal mining were reported. According to this, there are 1 lakh incidents of illegal mining in the country every year.
• But most of the cases of illegal mining never reach the court or the police. In 2016, 1,07,609 cases of illegal mining were reported. But out of these, FIRs were registered in only 6,033 cases.

CAUSES OF ILLEGAL MINING:

• Strong demand:
  • The main cause and incentive for this illegal mining of iron ore and manganese ore is the huge profit in the export market (mainly China). The prices of these have gone up by about 20 times.
  • Also, with the increase in the pace of development, the demand for minor minerals such as sand and gravel has crossed 60 million metric tonnes in India.
• Laws are not strictly implemented:
  • Strict laws are made in the country, but they are never strictly implemented.
  • For example, in 2021, the Indian government increased the punishment in such cases from two years to five years to check illegal mining. But despite this, the process of illegal mining still going on.
• Mining mafia and corruption:
  • Illegal mining is done in an organised manner. The whole gang, i.e., the mafia, works behind this.
  • These people give bribes to government officials and departments for illegal mining. The police are also accused of colluding with them. In most cases, the FIR is not even registered.
• Underestimation of illegal mining:
  • The problem of illegal mining of minor minerals is often underestimated.
  • There have been numerous cases of illegal mining of dolomite, marble, and sand across various states. For example, in Andhra Pradesh’s Konanki limestone quarries alone, 28.92 lakh metric tonnes of limestone have been illegally quarried.
• Issues associated with regulation and coordination:
  • The boundary markings are not clearly defined:
    • The Justice M. B. Shah Commission on Illegal Mining, in its report put substantial responsibility on the Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) for not taking up timely checks and cited many instances where it has been observed that boundary markings of the leased-out area are not clearly defined. 
    • There were several instances of encroachment beyond approved mine lease areas that were recorded.
  • Lack of coordination:
    • The Shah Commission report says that lack of coordination within the Ministry of Environment and Forests led to the illegalities and consequential ecological damage.
  • Lack of timely renewal:
    • The Shah Commission's report makes an interesting observation that one of the reasons that illegal mining thrives is the lack of timely mining renewals. The responsibility is on the mine owners, who don't apply in time, and also on the various regulatory authorities, where the applications are not processed in time.

IMPACTS OF ILLEGAL MINING:

• Environmental degradation:
  • Illegal mining has severe environmental impacts, including through deforestation, land degradation, and pollution.
  • In 2018, a Supreme Court-appointed committee had reported that between 1968 and 2018, 25 percent of the Aravalli hills have disappeared due to illegal mining.
• Losses to the state exchequer:
  • Illegal mining is not just damaging to the environment. Illegal mining causes copious losses to the state exchequer.
  • As per an estimate, U.P. is losing revenue from 70% of mining activities as only 30% of the area is legally mined.
• Loss of human life:
  • According to a report, in the years 2019 and 2020, a total of 193 people died during illegal sand and clay mining in India.
  • Many activists, police officials and journalists who have probed illegal mining issues have died in the line of duty.
• Aggravates disasters:
  • Illegal mining targets rivers and mountains while neglecting the environment. Due to this, rivers get damaged, and disasters like floods take on a formidable form.

MEASURES TAKEN BY THE GOVERNMENT TO PREVENT ILLEGAL MINING: 

• Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act (MMDR Act) 1957:
  • Section 23C of Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act (MMDR Act) 1957, empowers the State Governments to frame rules to prevent illegal mining.
  • In pursuance of the provisions of Section 23(C) of the Act, 22 State Governments including Odisha have framed rules to curb illegal mining.
  • Also, Section 30B of the Act provides for constitution of Special courts by State Governments for speedy trial of Illegal mining/Transportation/Storage cases.
  • Hence, control of illegal mining comes under the legislative and administrative purview of the State Governments.
  • However, the Central Government has taken the following measures to prevent illegal mining in the country:
    • Penalty for illegal mining was made more stringent by amendment of the MMDR Act in 2015.
    • Mining Surveillance System (MSS):
      • The Ministry of Mines, through the Indian Bureau of Mines, has developed the Mining Surveillance System (MSS) to use space technology for reporting any illegal mining activity to the State Government who will take necessary action.
      • Mining Surveillance System (MSS) is a satellite-based monitoring system which aims to detect illegal mining activity beyond the lease area through use of satellite images.
    • “Khanan Prahari” Mobile app:
      • The Government of India has launched one mobile app namely “KhananPrahari” and one web app Coal Mine Surveillance and Management System (CMSMS) for reporting unauthorized coal mining activities so that monitoring and taking suitable action on it can be done by concerned Law & Order enforcing authority.
• Judicial interventions:
  • In August 2017, the Supreme Court said that if any company does illegal mining without the permission of the environment ministry, then 100 percent recovery will be made from it.
  • In 2002, the Supreme Court had banned any kind of mining in the Aravalli hills

WAY FORWARD:

• Modern technologies like drones, satellite imagery, and GPS can be used to monitor illegal mining activities, check for activity at night, and track illegal truck movements.
  • Recently, the NGT directed some States to use satellite imagery to monitor the volume of sand extraction and transportation from the riverbeds.
• Establishment of weigh bridges to measure the quantity of mineral being transported
• Inspection, checking and search of minerals at the place of excavation or storage or during transit.
• Armed guards to be posted at various check points to stop illegal mining and transportation.
• Constitution of task force/flying squads for prevention of illegal mining at the State/sub-division/District/Tahasil level.
• Hosting of information regarding minor minerals quarry leases on website to make mining operations more transparent.
• Preparation and publication of Standard Operation Procedure & Operation Manuals for various minor minerals with safety and environmental clauses.

CONCLUSION:

• Protection of mineral reserves as well as their sustainable exploitation for socio-economic development is of prime importance. Therefore, it is the responsibility of government to take effective action plan to combat illegal mining which has led to huge revenue loss to state exchequer.

PRACTICE QUESTION:

Q. “India has grossly underestimated the issue of illegal mining, which damages the environment and causes revenue loss”. Discuss the causes and consequences of illegal mining in the country.