The Central Empowered Committee (CEC) of the Supreme Court hearing the allegations of violations of forest protection laws in the multi-crore Orissa mining scam on Monday recommended that the state government should strictly enforce the law prohibiting mining within one km radius of a wildlife sanctuary. The CEC, which concluded the hearing into the allegations of rampant violations of forest laws, also asked the Orissa government to close any mines that are operating in non-forest areas without environmental or other such statutory clearances. The CEC was set up after senior journalist Rabi Das filed a petition in the Supreme Court in November 2009 seeking an exhaustive probe by the Central Empowered Committee into the illegal mining in Keonjhar, Sundargarh and other districts of Orissa, The CEC recommendation to the state for stopping all mining activities within a one-km radius of a wildlife sanctuary is likely to affect the mining activities of Ferro Alloys Corporation Ltd., Orissa Mining Corporation and Indian Metals and Ferro Alloys Ltd who run four chromite mines. Environmentalists allege that the mines are located very close to the Hadgarh wildlife sanctuary in Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj districts. The CEC chaired by P V Jaikrishnan also said that in forest areas where mining companies have applied for forest diversion, they can be asked to pay the Net Present Value of the loss of forest as per an order of Supreme Court in 2002. The CEC, which asked the state government to explain why it suspended 163 mines in Keonjhar and Sundargarh after the mining scam, would now send its recommendations to the Supreme Court for an order.