The Supreme Court has suspended with immediate effect the mining of iron ore in 10,868 hectares in Bellary district of Karnataka. A Special Bench headed by Chief Justice S H Kapadia directed the Ministry of Environment and Forest to come out with an interim report on the requirement of the iron ore for the country's steel industry. The Bench said the Ministry would also spell out as to how much of iron ore was required for the domestic industry and how much needs to be imported. The court issued the directions accepting Attorney General G E Vahanvati's submission that the Ministry will come out with the report in consultation with other ministries concerned, mines, steel and commerce. The Bench passed the order after perusing the latest report of the Central Empowered Committee, which had said that the illegal mining was going on in a rampant manner causing irreversible environmental degradation. The court took environmental degradation into account for suspending the mining activities in Bellary.