Bhubaneswar, Jan. 12: Senior officials of the Odisha government today requested the Justice M.B. Shah Commission to give the state another chance to put forward its case with regard to the multi-crore mining scam.

The commission is likely to submit its final report to the Centre next month.

Sources said mines secretary Rajesh Verma and director Deepak Mohanty flew to Ahmedabad to meet officials of the commission, along with senior advocate U.U. Lalit.

They sought an opportunity to plead Odisha’s case before the panel submitted the final report.

A multi-crore mining scam surfaced in the state in 2009 following allegations of illegal excavation of minerals having taken place in districts such as Keonjhar and Sundegarh. In the wake of the allegations, the Odisha government ordered a vigilance inquiry into the scandal and the department conducted raids.

The Shah commission, during its last two visits to Odisha, has detected several irregularities in the mining belt and rapped the government for allowing the violators to get away.