On August 26, 2022, the Supreme Court raised the ceiling limit of iron ore mining for Ballari (from 28 MMT to 35 MMT), Chitradurga and Tumakuru districts (from 7 MMT to 15 MMT collectively) in Karnataka, saying that the conservation of ecology and environment must go hand in hand with the spirit of economic development.
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Earlier, on May 20, 2022, the apex court had relaxed the ban on sale outside the State and export of already excavated iron ore from mines in these three districts. Ten years after it clamped down on production and sale of iron ore in Karnataka, the Court has relaxed its own orders.
Background
In 2012, the SC banned export of iron ore pellets from Karnataka with an aim to prevent environmental degradation.
Following the ban, the Supreme Court directed the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) to draw up a reclamation and rehabilitation plan to reverse the environmental damage caused by illegal mining.
Taking cognisance of the course correction by the government, it relaxed its 2011 order since the situation had now “changed for the better”.
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