SC firm on Kudremukh order
New Delhi, UNI : The last ditch effort to bail out the Kudremukh Iron Ore
mines failed with the Supreme Court dismissing a plea by workers seeking
reconsideration of its order directing closure of the mines in Karnataka
with effect from December 31. 2005.
With the dismissal of the curative petition, the Kudremukh Shram
Shakti Sangathan has exhausted the last legal recourse in the country.
The apex court, which had ordered closure of the mines on October
30, 2002, on November 29 this year turned down a plea by the Sangathan to
review its order.
Aggrieved with the two-judge bench decision dismissing the review
petition, the workers filed the curative petition which was dismissed by a
four-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Y.K.Sabharwal last week.
The Sangathan had sought a fresh look on the judgement on the
ground that workers were not given a hearing despite the fact that the
order, in effect, had deprived them of their right to continue in employment
in the Kudremukh Iron Ore Mines Company Ltd (KIOCL).
Besides depriving 2,500 workers of their right to livelihood, the
closure would cause an annual loss of Rs.3,000 crore to the nation and make
useless assets worth Rs.4,000 crore, it alleged.
Among other assets, the pipeline between Kudremukh and Mangalore
Port would go a waste, it submitted. It further pointed out that one of the
members of the Central Empowered Committee, which had recommended closure,
was an advocate involved in the case. Environmentalists had alleged severe
environmental degradation in the region on account of mining activities by
the KIOCL.
Kudremukh National Park is rich in biodiversity and a critical
watershed for three rivers in the region.
mines failed with the Supreme Court dismissing a plea by workers seeking
reconsideration of its order directing closure of the mines in Karnataka
with effect from December 31. 2005.
With the dismissal of the curative petition, the Kudremukh Shram
Shakti Sangathan has exhausted the last legal recourse in the country.
The apex court, which had ordered closure of the mines on October
30, 2002, on November 29 this year turned down a plea by the Sangathan to
review its order.
Aggrieved with the two-judge bench decision dismissing the review
petition, the workers filed the curative petition which was dismissed by a
four-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Y.K.Sabharwal last week.
The Sangathan had sought a fresh look on the judgement on the
ground that workers were not given a hearing despite the fact that the
order, in effect, had deprived them of their right to continue in employment
in the Kudremukh Iron Ore Mines Company Ltd (KIOCL).
Besides depriving 2,500 workers of their right to livelihood, the
closure would cause an annual loss of Rs.3,000 crore to the nation and make
useless assets worth Rs.4,000 crore, it alleged.
Among other assets, the pipeline between Kudremukh and Mangalore
Port would go a waste, it submitted. It further pointed out that one of the
members of the Central Empowered Committee, which had recommended closure,
was an advocate involved in the case. Environmentalists had alleged severe
environmental degradation in the region on account of mining activities by
the KIOCL.
Kudremukh National Park is rich in biodiversity and a critical
watershed for three rivers in the region.
