In the meantime, a consortium of pressure groups campaigned to have the Government buy out the old mineral mining permissions from the landowner.

Talvivaara Mining Company applied for uranium mining permission on 20 April 2010.

Many of the problems are likely to arise when quarrying companies activate the large number of old mining permissions they own without basic environmental safeguards attached.

"If this mining permission is granted, the primitive group will completely vanish," said Bratindi Jena of ActionAid.

In 1947 an old mining permission was granted for Conygar Quarry by interim development order under the Town and Country Planning (General Interim Development) Order 1946.

At the beginning of 1991, the owners of Conygar Quarry applied to the competent Mineral Planning Autority ('the MPA‘) for registration of the old mining permission under the Planning and Compensation Act 1991.

The mining permission was the right to mine in Kolar extending over twenty years, at a royalty of ten per cent on all metals and metallic ores, and of twenty per cent on all precious stones.

"However, for want of requisite mining permission in Rowghat area and forestry clearances, SAIL did not deposit necessary funds with the Railways," Railway Board Chairman Mr KC Jena said pointing out the reason for delay in the project.

It would undermine the effectiveness of that directive to regard as mere modification of an existing 'consent‘ the adoption of decisions which, in circumstances such as those of the main proceedings, replace not only the terms but the very substance of a prior consent, such as the old mining permission.

In the main proceedings, the owners of Conygar Quarry were obliged under the Planning and Compensation Act 1991, if they wished to resume working of the quarry, to have the old mining permission registered and to seek decisions determining new planning conditions and approving matters reserved by those conditions.