The state steel and mines department continued to be on the edge a day before the Centre-appointed Justice M B Shah Commission probing the illegal mining activities in different parts of the country lands here to inquire into Orissa mining scam.
Ahead of the commissions visit to Bhubaneswar today,the state government has tightened the screws on illegal miners sending showcause notices to 57 mines for violation of mining and other laws.
The multi-crore mining scam,unearthed in 2009,is a complex case of over-mining,mining without lease,and mining in forest areas without the necessary clearance from the authorities concerned.
It led state government to suspend mining operations in hundreds of iron ore,manganese and chromite mines.