Bhubaneswar, June 9: The two-member central empowered committee of the Supreme Court today held discussions with the state government officials on the status of mines which operated under the deemed extension of the rules.

The panel’s visit follows an apex court order suspending operation of 26 mines in the state engaged in excavations on the strength of the controversial deemed extension clause of the Mineral Concession Rules (MCR), 1960. Under the rules, a mine owner could continue to lift ores pending renewal of its licence by the authorities.

The court, in its interim order, had maintained that such mines could not continue operation without the express orders of the state government, which recently passed an order to resume operations in eight mines.

Sources said the primary purpose of the panel’s visit was to assess the situation in the mines affected by the court’s order. Besides, it would also like to have an overview of the situation in the state’s mining sector, which plunged into a crisis following allegations of illegal mining running into crores of rupees.

These sources said it was more like a follow up on the report of the Justice M.B. Shah Commission, which probed into the mining scam in the state. “The committee members, N.K. Jiwarika and Madan Mohan Vyas, grilled state officials on issues such as forest and environment clearances for mining as there had been allegations of violations in these matters,” said sources. The leaked Shah commission report, which has recommended a CBI probe into the scam, remains a major source of embarrassment for the state government. The commission came into picture after the state vigilance department had conducted a probe into allegations of mining irregularities that surfaced first in 2009.

During their closed-door meeting with the state officials at the conference hall of the Odisha Mining Corporation, the panel members also sought information about the working of mines other than the 26, which had come under the apex court scanner. The team is also likely to meet some of the mine owners.

“We provided the visiting team with all the relevant documents. They had no complaints on that score, but the members pointed to alleged violations in granting forest and environment clearances to mines,” said a state government official.

While the panel members were tight-lipped about their interaction with the state officials, development commissioner Injeti Srinivas said the team was happy with the initiatives taken by the state government. “They are happy with the steps taken by us. We gave them the details,” said Srinivas.

Sources said that during their deliberations with the panel members, the state officials underscored the need to open the mines closed for more than a year in the wake of the scam. The closure was affecting not only the revenue generation, but also the livelihood of thousand of workers, who depend on the mining sector for survival. The panel members will meet some of mine owners tomorrow.