In Keonjhar district, 21 lessees including top miners like SAIL, Facor and state-run Odisha Mining Corporation are in the defaulters' list Ruling out any laxity for mine lessees for flouting Environment (Protection) Act- 1986, the state forest & environment department has asked the Keonjhar collector to file prosecution immediately against them. In Keonjhar district, 21 lessees including top miners like Steel Authority of India Ltd (Sail), Ferro Alloys Corporation (Facor) and state-run Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) are in the defaulters' list. "Prosecution may be filed against the defaulting mining leases immediately andcopies of the complaint filed in the criminal court be submitted tothis department without further delay", S B Samant, director(environment) wrote to the Keonjhar collector. Sail'sBolani iron ore mines and Facor's Katasahi manganese ore mines are in dock for EP Act violation. Six leases of OMC- Bansapani iron oremines, Rantha iron ore mines, Gandhamardan iron ore mines, Sakradihiiron ore mines, Balda Palsa Jajang iron ore mines and Dubna manganeseore mines are facing same charges. Otherviolators include Prabodh Mohanty (Unchabali iron ore and manganese mines), Odisha Minerals Development Company- OMDC (Roida Bhadrasahiiron ore mines, Arjun Ladha (Balaguda iron and manganese ore mines)and Kalinga Mining Corporation (Jurudi manganese ore mines) to name a few. Thestate government is presumably responding swiftly to the recentsuggestion of the Union ministry of environment & forests (MoEF).The ministry had asked the state government to initiate action against the mining companies named in the Shah Commission's reportfor violating environment laws. The commission, in its report, noted 94 mines were operating without environment clearance (EC) while 96 others obtained delayed ECs TheMoEF is also understood to have asked the state government to explainthe reasons for delay in filing cases against the errant miners forEP Act violation. As many as 110 mine owners are in dock for violation of EP Act, 1986.The miners are facing prosecution for raising ore beyond the approved limits of the Act and also for continuing mining operations without environment clearance. ForEP Act violation, the state government is empowered to take actionagainst the offenders by invoking powers under Section 19 of the Act.Under this Act, a district collector is empowered to take cognisanceof the offence and initiate legal action. The MoEF had decided earlier that in all such cases involving violationof the EP Act, environment clearance will be issued only after the state government concerned has initiated credible action on theviolation and evidence is provided to the ministry of the credibleaction.