TNN

Bangalore, Nov 28: Openly expressing lack of confidence in government officers, the high court on Thursday indicated it may call for a thorough probe by an independent agency like the CBI into the mining and forest lease scams.

"Our natural resources are being exploited and exported by individual licence holders with the connivance of officials. While our industries like Mysore Steel are closed for want of raw material, throwing workers on the streets, iron ore is exported from everywhere, enriching foreign countries," a division bench headed by chief justice P D Dinakaran said.

"While the market rate is Rs 2,000 to 3,000, they finalize the deal for Rs 100 a tonne. Can this doing away with natural wealth be called globalization? We don't have confidence in your (government) officers and rather prefer an independent authority to investigate quarrying, mining and export of iron ore, besides leasing of forests for 999 years," the bench told the government advocate while adjourning a batch of petitions filed by parties including Mysore Minerals.

Doctors' strike: Govt issues notices

A division bench has directed the government to proceed with the showcause notice against government hospital doctors who went on strike in the second week of November. It also asked the government to report back in four weeks about further action initiated against them.

"We have given a 7-day notice to all those who participated and their reply is awaited," the government advocate told the court. S Vasudeva and B Krishna Bhat, in their PILs, have sought enforcing of provisions under the Essential Services Management Act against the doctors.

"Due to the strike by nearly 4,000 doctors, patients at government hospitals were affected and many surgeries were postponed," they claimed.