Supreme Court hearing a plea by miners who said the applicant companies were dying and facing closure due to their stocks not getting sold or receiving genuine prices due to the ban on export in Karnataka while steel companies, on other hand, were importing iron ores.
CJI NV Ramana: issue is whether e auction should be started or not and whether ore export be allowed.
Adv Prashant Bhushan: Steel Ministry says that more and more iron ore is needed. it says India produces 120 million tons every years and it needs 192 million tons every year.
Bhushan: ministry is saying we need to increase production of steel and thus we need more iron ore. it is not saying that there is surplus of iron ore and thus we dont need to export.
Dave: Question is should these measures continue when such measures are not in place for other states? Objective of writ petition having been achieved, the ban can be lifted. Now Mr Bhushan should not come in way of growth of country and now illegalities have been removed