Orissa has ordered the suspension of work in at least 30 iron ore mines after the operators failed to produce documents to show their mining activities were legal, a senior mines department official said Monday.

The state mines department served notices in October to the mine operators in mineral-rich Keonjhar district, asking them to produce necessary documents so they could continue operations.

'The suspension notices were served Saturday after they failed to do so,' deputy director of mines Purna Chandra Patra told IANS.

The state government had last month set up a task force headed by the chief secretary to check illegal mining.

The mines department served the notices to operators after it was asked by the task force to verify documents of about 600 mine operators in the state following reports that many were operating without valid mining and environmental clearances.

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