Tata Steel has reportedly been slapped with a fine of around Rs 6,000 crore for its alleged involvement in illegal mining at its captive mines.

Citing unnamed sources, emerging reports state that Deputy Director of Mines (DDM) of Joda mining circle has fined Tata Steel and some other iron ore producers on charges of "illegal and excess mining."

But, the reported amount of fine imposed on the steel maker couldn't be verified so far.

A Tata Steel official admitted that the company received 2-3 notices but he denied any illegal mining by his company. He added that the charges at the most could be termed as "excessive mining".

Speaking on the topic, the official said, "The Company will make a representation to the state government soon. At the most, our case can be termed as excessive mining but certainly it is not illegal mining."

The official further added that the company had paid royalty as well as taxes for whatever ore it had over and above the permitted limit.

Tata Steel owns iron ore mines in Joda and Katamati areas of Odisha. Apart from those mines, it has dolomite quarries and manganese mines in the state. The company uses all the material from these mines in its Jamshedpur-based steel-making plant.