Bhubaneswar, Sept. 4: The state government today issued demand notices to 152 mining lease-holders asking them to pay fines imposed on them by December 31 this year for illegally mining and mining without environmental clearances between 2000 and 2011 or face action.

The notices were issued based on the August 2 Supreme Court directive asking the state government to collect the fines from the mine owners who had violated the laws. The mine owners, however, said that they would approach the court against the notices and seek a review of the order.

The apex court had directed the Odisha government to recover 100 per cent compensation from the lease-holders for 'rapaciously' mining ore illegally in flagrant violation of environmental and forest laws.

Steel and mines minister Prafulla Mallick said: 'We have issued notices to 152 mining lease-holders to collect the fines. They have to pay by by December, 31 failing which action would be initiated.'

The notice cited the judgement of the Supreme Court, which would help the state collect Rs 17,576 crore from the miners. It said: ' Since the recommendation made by the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) in this regard is not totally unreasonable, we accept that the compensation should be payable from 2000-2001 on wards at 100 per cent of the price of the mineral, as rationalised by the CEC.'

In its notification, the steel and mines department said the total notional value of minerals produced without environmental clearances or in excess of the environmental clearances, came to around Rs 17,576.16 crore. Of this, Rs 17,091.24 crore was from iron ore and Rs 484.92 crore for manganese ore mines.

Speaking on behalf of the mine owners, Prabodh Mohanty, a mine-owner himself, said they would approach the Supreme Court for a review of the order. In case that is not accepted, the mine owners should be allowed to pay the fines in instalments.

'Many mines are already defunct. We should be allowed to pay the fines in instalments,' he said.

Opposition Congress and the BJP are of the view that the state government had taken a soft stand towards mine owners by immediately agreeing to collect Rs 17,576 crore as fine following the recommendation of the CEC.

'What about the state government's notices given in 2014 for realisation of Rs 59,000 crore from the mine owners for indulging in illegal mining?' asked senior Congress leader Srikant Jena. The BJP, on the other hand, had accused the BJD of being in league with the mine owners and had referred to the adverse remarks made against the state government in the judgment.

The state government had issued notices to mine owners for indulging 'rapaciously' in mining ore illegally in three mineral-rich districts of the state - Mayurbhanaj, Keonjhar and Sundargarh.

The Justice M.B. Saha Commission had computed losses to the tune of Rs 61,000 crore.