Bhubaneswar, Feb. 5 -- The Orissa high court on Monday ordered immediate action against illegal mining in Mayurbhanj and Balasore districts, observing that the reality on the ground was "a far cry" from the Supreme Court's 2017 directives to curb the state's mining mafia.

A bench comprising chief justice Harish Tandon and justice Murahari Sri Raman noted that the Supreme Court's August 2, 2017, verdict expressed "deep concern over the mining scandal of enormous proportions involving megabucks" across three Odisha districts - Keonjhar, Sundargarh and Mayurbhanj - in the Common Cause vs Union of India case. It said illegal mining activities didn't just persist in Mayurbhanj but had spread to Balasore district as well.

"It is alarming to n...