Dantewada administration imposes Rs 1,620.5 cr fine on NMDC for violations
The administration in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district has imposed a penalty of Rs 1,620.5 crore on the National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC), a central PSU, for alleged violation of mining laws, officials said on Saturday.
The NMDC has termed the move "completely inappropriate" and claimed the penalty was imposed "solely and blindly without considering the facts and circumstances in the case".
The NMDC has mining operations in Bailadila hills in Kirandul and the Bacheli area of Dantewada in the Bastar region.
In a letter dated August 29, Dantewada collector Mayank Chaturvedi directed the NMDC to deposit the penalty amount within 15 days.
The letter stated that iron ore mining leases have been approved for Deposit No. 14 ML in an area of 322.368 hectares, Deposit No. 14 NMZ in 506.742 hectares, and Deposit No. 11 in 874.924 hectares in Kirandul village under Bacheli tehsil of Dantewada to the NMDC.
The collector wrote that the NMDC's clarifications to the show cause not