Bhubaneswar, Sept. 22: The Orissa government today said it would send a detailed report on illegal mining to the Justice MB Shah Commission of Inquiry by September 30.

The Centre had appointed the Shah Commission on November 10, 2010, to inquire into illegal mining reported in the mineral-based states.

Steel and mines minister Raghunath Mohanty said: “Earlier, we had sent two reports on mining to the Centre on May 13 and June 1. Now, the commission has asked for another report and we will send it by the deadline.”

Official sources said Justice Shah, in a letter to the Orissa steel and mines department, asked for certain information relating to the number of leases, quantum of illegal mining by September 30 in order to go ahead with its inquiry. The commission had also sought information on the areas of operation of different mining owners, their phone numbers and the quantum of export from Orissa in the past five years, sources said.

Though the commission had earlier sought certain information from the Orissa government by September 19, the latter could not meet the deadline and asked for more time.

Mohanty said: “After sending a report by September 30, we have to send another report to the commission. The latest queries from the commission has reached the Orissa government two days ago.”

The Orissa government has decided to inform the commission that it has ordered for vigilance probe in the mineral sector. “We will inform the commission that the vigilance is doing the job and the number of people arrested by the agency,” the minister said.

To check illegal mining on the border areas, a high-level joint meeting of the Jharkhand and Orissa government will be held on September 24.

Earlier, the commission sent letters to some mine lessees through post. However, most of the letters returned as the postal address of some of them were found to be wrong. Even some of them refused to acknowledge the commission’s letters.