CURRENT NEWS

JANUARY  2010

 

Police step up efforts to curb illegal mining in Bermo

Ranchi, January 28, 2010: Bermo police have taken steps to check large-scale illegal mining of coal from abandoned mines in various parts of the sub-division. Disclosing this on Wednesday, Bermo Additional Superintendent of Police Mayur Patel said he had already been taken action and also formed committee in this regard to find out where illegal mining of coal were being carried despite the State Government order to stop the same. Mayur Patel, who took over as Bermo ASP on September 15, 2009, informed that he himself has been making surprise visit to confirm whether the smuggling of coal was continuing despite his standing instructions to police stations particularly Bokaro thermal and Nawadih.  He said during his inspections he found some trucks with illegally mined coal proceeding to their destination. He said on his order, police seized large number of coal laden trucks and tractors at Nawadih and Bokaro thermal areas in the sub-division. He said cases were instituted against the truck drivers who failed to produced valid documents.  He made it clear that he will not allow the smuggling of coal in Bermo at any cost and issued necessary instructions to all the officers posted in various police stations of the Bermo sub-division . According to ASP late in the month of November and December a police team of Bokaro thermal and Nawadih police station carried out a massive raids at illegal coal dump yard in Bokaro thermal and Nawadih areas and seized several tones of illegal of coal and had arrested dozen of coal smugglers. Most of the raids had been concentrated in the Naya –Basti, Kanjkiri Pillpillo, Budhgadda, Pank, Narki and several villages of Nawadih.  Several cases had been registered with the concerned police station against the truck owner and its driver.

(Source:http://dailypioneer.com/232161/Police-step-up-efforts-to-curb-illegal-mining-in-Bermo.html)

Centre seeks report on mining scam

Bhubaneswar, January 28, 2010: The Centre has asked the State Government to submit a report to it on the multi-crore mining scam. Secretary in the Union Ministry of Mines Santa Sheela Nair today met Chief Secretary T K Mishra at the secretariat here and discussed steps taken by the State Government to curb the illegal mining activities in the state and proposed expansion of Nalco in Orissa.  Admitting that illegal extraction of minerals has been reported from other states also, Nair said Centre has asked all mine bearing states to submit reports. She said Centre and the states are losing revenue of crores of rupees because of illegal mining activities. Nair, however, maintained that steps taken by the Government to check illegal mining activities are not adequate. She said that more steps are required for this. Replying to a question on the proposed Posco project near Paradip, she said that this was not discussed. The Union Secretary said that the State Government should fully cooperate for the expansion project of Nalco in Orissa. The expansion project at Damanjodi has been delayed by about nine months. Though it was expected to be completed by March 2010, the expansion of the refinery will now be completed in 2011. She said that the Government should also expedite forest clearance and rehabilitation projects for the Nalco mines. The coal mines in Utkal E block has forest and rehabilitation problems, she said, adding that these should resolved by the State Government soon.

(Source:http://expressbuzz.com)

SC reserves verdict on Tangarpada chromite mines’ tender issue

New Delhi, January 28, 2010: The Supreme Court on Wednesday reserved its verdict on whether the Orissa government’s decision to cancel allotment of a tender for development of Tangarpada chromite mines to three shortlisted bidders—Tata Iron and Steel Company, Jindal Strips Ltd and Visa Steel—is in the best interests of state. The government has proposed to develop the mines on its own through a special-purpose vehicle set up by two state-owned concerns, Industrial Development Corporation of Orissa Ltd (IDCOL) and Orissa Mining Corporation (OMC) rather than private parties. The decision to develop the mines in Dhenkanal district of Orissa on its own was taken after IDCOL had evaluated fresh financial bids from the shortlisted companies following the directives from the Supreme Court in February 2008. Senior counsel P P Rao and Raj Kumar Mehta, appearing for IDCOL, told a Bench headed by Justice P Sathasivam, that the state government had rejected bids of all the three bidders in November 2008 and has refunded the earnest money after their bids were not found financially rewarding. They further contended that “it is a policy decision and we didn’t find any one suitable for the project.” OMC is capable of doing it as it has experience of other mining activities, IDCOL said, adding, “It is not inclined to give it (development of the mines) to anybody… Even the advertisement had clearly mentioned it.” Stating that the bidders had not questioned its rejection order, IDCOL counsel said the bidders can’t claim it as the matter of right that the state government was bound to accept any of the bids. Opposing IDCOL’s decision, JSL said the Orissa government’s decision to develop the mines on its own was illegal and violative of the apex court order. JSL senior counsel T Andhyarujana argued that the apex court’s order had asked IDCOL to consider the financial bids and if the corporation was not inclined to accept its bids, then why did it seek extension of time for considering the bids. Stating that the corporation can’t unilaterally reject all the three bids and enter into a joint venture with OMC “is a colourable exercise of power,” JSL counsel said. He further said that JSL had given the best quotation and it is also ready for further negotiations. Visa Steel also supported JSL’s arguments.

(Source:http://www.financialexpress.com/news/sc-reserves-verdict-on-tangarpada-chromite-mines-tender-issue/572166/)

Apex court reserves order in Jindal Stainless, Orissa Mining case

New Delhi, January 28, 2010: The Industrial Development Corporation of Orissa (IDCOL) on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that if Jindal Stainless (JSL) be given licence to develop the Tangarpada chromite mines in the state, it will make a super profit. The decision of the state government for a JV with Orissa Mining Corporation (OMC) for the development of the mines is in best interest of the state, said IDCOL.  “There is a huge gap between our (IDCOL) expectation and Jindal’s quotation. So, there is no question of negotiation with them. If JSL be given licence to develop the mine, it will make a super profit,” said IDCOL counsel PP Rao. He said the quote of Jindal’s licence fee was much below the market value. The present market value rose to about Rs 4,000-8,000 per tonne of ore. However, Jindal had submitted its quote of Rs 900 per tonne of ore irrespective of grade, said Rao. “This (quote) and present market value is unbreachable,” said Rao. On behalf of JSL former solicitor general TR Andhyarujina said: “The question is whether IDCOL can enter into a JV with an outsider, OMC, in breach of the apex court order. The court in February 2008 had asked for inviting of fresh financial bids from Tata Steel, JSL and Visa Steel to develop the Tangarpada mines in Dhenkanal district of state. IDCOL had rejected the bids and instead decided to develop the mines on its own. The state government on September 27, 2008 went a step further and, acting on IDCOL report, decided to have a JV with OMC. They cannot bring in an alien (OMC) for JV.” He added that it goes against the apex court order.“Secondly, if IDCOL feels that our quotation is low, why it did not negotiate with the company. No negotiation was made on such issue,” said Andhyarujina, seeking intervention of the court to direct IDCOL to negotiate with JSL on the issue. After completion of the arguments, the court said it will pass the order preferably with two weeks. “We have to consider whether a direction could be issued to negotiate with JSL for development of such mines,” said justice P Sathasivam heading the two judge bench.

 (http://epaper.timesofindia.com/)

NEERI needs younger scientists, says Ramesh

Nagpur, January 28, 2010:: Calling the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) an "old age home", Jairam Ramesh asked its scientists to move under the umbrella of the ministry of environment and forest (MoEF) during a visit there on Wednesday. But his suggestion was unanimously rejected. To add insult to the scientists, the minister also held the institute responsible for the pollution in some cities in the region.  The minister told the institute to work for promotion of bioremediation techniques for restoration of environmental qualities in the region. Stressing that Chandrapur, which is the fourth-most polluted city in the country after Vapi, Ankleshwar and Ghaziabad, Ramesh called upon the NEERI scientists to work towards reducing pollution. "What is the use of having such a big institute here if it is of no use to the region," he asked. Explaining his old age charge, Ramesh said, "NEERI needs younger hands as the average age of the scientists is about 46." Ramesh promised to start 10-12 national environmental fellowships from this year. He also announced the launch of an International Centre on Climate Change with 10-12 top scientists of Indian origin who are working in advanced countries in frontline research areas such as Aerosols. The minister told the scientists that he was organizing a 'Pan IIT Meet' in March where research groups working on environmental issues in IITs will be brought together. He suggested creation of an Indian Academy of Environmental Sciences on lines of Chinese Academy of Environmental Sciences by bringing all national labs in India working on environmental issues under one forum. The institute's acting director Tapan Chakrabarti said that it was not the first time that MoEF had offered to take NEERI under its cover. TN Seshan, the then MoEF secretary in 1987, was the first person to make such an offer, which was rejected by the then director P Khanna. "The entire NEERI family is comfortable working under the ministry of science and technology and did not want to join MoEF then nor does it wants to do it now. Besides it is not easy to dissociate itself from its 38 sister laboratories which work in collaboration with each other under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research," said Chakrabarti. The director said that his scientists promised to work on any project or issue referred by the MoEF in a pro-active effort, like the new Ganges cleaning project, but "cannot dissociate from the CSIR". Chakrabarti clarified that NEERI had many times appraised the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board about serious pollution caused by coal mining in Chandrapur but "it did not act on it". "We are neither an implementing or regulating agency," he said. "Once we had told WCL that the coal particles got deposited on all leaves of trees and plants, and showed them the photographs as proof. But it had termed the NEERI report as wrong." The NEERI director said he too was in favour of young generation taking over the reins from the current scientists but the process would take time. "Senior scientists are already retiring and a gradual phasing out is happening. The institute had already held interviews for six 'scientists C' posts and another 14 posts would also be filled soon by scientists from age 30-32," said Chakrabarti.

(Source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Neeri-needs-younger-scientists-says-Ramesh/articleshow/5507340.cms)

Adani Group denied coal mining permission near Tadoba reserve

Nagpur, January 27, 2010: The ministry of environment and forests has denied permission to Adani Group for coal mining at Lohara near Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR), for setting up a 1980 MW power plant in Gondia district of Maharashtra. Adani Power is setting up the project at Tiroda (Gondia) and had planned to source the coal from Lohara. "Our Ministry issued a letter on January 7, to Adani Group stating that the permission (for coal mining) has been denied to them since it would destroy rich forests and tiger habitat," Union minister Jairam Ramesh, told reporters after his visit to Lohara. Ramesh who met several environmental activists here yesterday assured them that "there will be no review and no reconsideration" in this matter. Dismissing any flip flop, Ramesh categorically said the coal block was alloted to the company earlier by the Coal ministry and environment and forest Ministry should have been consulted. "Our ministry has declined permission and informed the coal ministry to allot an alternative coal block to Adani. I am holding meeting with Coal Minister once in a month to discuss such issues personally," Ramesh added. He said the forest ministry has launched an exercise of mapping to identify the coal blocks falling under forest lands and endangering wild life and forests.  The ministry will give a 'go' and 'no-go' signal in such cases which means only after such permission, coal mining can be taken up, Ramesh said citing the exercise being conducted at Nand Karan in Jharkhand where out of 58 coal blocks, 38 have been given go and 21 no-go. Similar exercise is being conducted in Talchar, Ibb Valley, Raniganj (West Bengal), Hansdeo (Chhattisgarh), he said. Acknowledging the demand of coal for power production, Ramesh said the requirement will increase to 1,000 million tonnes from the present 500 million tonnes. Coal is abundantly available in Jharkhand, Orissa, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, he said. Ramesh also expressed concern over increasing pollution levels and said Chandrapur is the fourth most polluted city in the country after Wapi, Ankleshwar (Gujarat) and Ghaziabad. Hence the ministry has decided against new industries in Chandrapur for the next eight months to control industrial pollution, he said.

(Source:http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_adani-group-denied-coal-mining-permission-near-tadoba-reserve_1339710)

Haryana govt notifies “Scheme of Mining” from the Aravalli ranges

Chandigarh, 23 January 2010: The Haryana Government has notified a “Scheme of Mining” for the mining of construction material from the Aravalli ranges extending into the district of Faridabad (including Palwal). An Empowered Committee under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary will be constituted to supervise and oversee the implementation of this scheme. The Empowered Committee will be competent to take decisions on all the matters involved therein or incidental thereto. Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretaries, Finance Department, Forest Department, Environment, Mines & Geology Department, Town & Country Planning Department, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Chief Administrator, HUDA and Member Secretary, Environment Pollution Control Board will be its Members, whereas Director, Mines & Geology will be its Member Secretary. It will also have Special Invitees, if any. The Scheme shall be applicable to the mining of minor minerals consisting of construction material in the Aravalli range in the district of Faridabad (including Palwal) and may also extend to the district of Gurgaon (including Mewat) in due course of time. Under the scheme, the period of grant of lease/ contract may vary from 7 to 10 years. The State Government may make suitable enabling provisions to this effect by way of amendment in its Minor Mineral Concession Rules; Provided that the State may consider grant of Short-Term Permits for a period not exceeding 180 days in order to meet any exigencies/ intervening arrangements subject to environmental clearances; Provided further that there shall be no extension of an existing lease/ contract on expiry of the original period of the grant and any such lease/ contract, on expiry of the original period of grant, shall be granted only in the manner hereinafter prescribed. The State Government shall obtain all the environmental approvals/ clearances as required in terms of the MOE&F Notification dated 14.09.2006 before grant of lease/ contracts and the lessees/ contractors shall be under obligation to adhere to the environmental requirements/stipulations while carrying out their workings and fulfill all the terms and conditions attendant thereto. The Department of Mines and Geology shall grant all leases/ contracts of the mining blocks.

(Source:http://www.punjabnewsline.com/content/view/22792/191/)

Clearances delayed, Orissa to give Vedanta bauxite from alternative sources

Bhubaneswar, 22 January 2010: With the environment ministry holding up the final clearance for Vedanta’s bauxite mining project from Niyamgiri mountain in Kalahandi district, the Orissa government today assured company chairman Anil Agarwal that it would provide bauxite ore from its other mines till the company received central clearance.  Agarwal, who met chief minister Naveen Patnaik and his officials this evening at the State Secretariat was assured that the company would get the requisite bauxite ore of 3 MT per annum for its 1 MT per annum alumina refinery at Lanjigarh in Kalahandi till it secured the ministry’s approval to mine the biodiverse-rich Niyamgiri hills. “Orissa has the 4th largest bauxite deposit in the world. So supplying bauxite should not be a problem for Orissa,” the chief minister reportedly assured Agarwal during the meeting. The industries department has been asked to look into the problem immediately. During his meeting, Agarwal said that he was incurring huge losses by sourcing bauxite for his Lanjigarh refinery. Niyamgiri mountain, the foothills on which the alumina refinery is situated has 75 million tonnes of bauxite deposit, enough to run the Vedanta project for another 25 years.

(Source:http://www.indianexpress.com/news/clearances-delayed-orissa-to-give-vedanta-b/570308/)

JSW Energy to invest Rs 4,500 crore in coal mines abroad

Mumbai, January 22, 2010: The Sajjan Jindal-promoted JSW Energy is planning an investment of Rs 4,500 crore to acquire coal mines abroad and another of Rs 10,000 crore in West Bengal through a joint venture with group company JSW Bengal Steel. The company’s board today approved the floating of an overseas subsidiary for the investment abroad. The company also announced a profit after tax of Rs 205 crore for the quarter ended December 31, about 73 per cent more than the Rs 118.5 crore net profit posted in the corresponding period last year. Total income for the period was Rs 712.4 crore, about the same as the corresponding period revenues of Rs 711 crore last year. The better performance was mainly on account of enhanced generation from capacity additions, sales and less fuel costs. JSW Energy, which debuted on the stock exchanges in the first week of January, had earlier contracted coal from Indonesia to fuel its power projects. The company will form a special purpose vehicle (SPV) with group company JSW Bengal Steel to set up a 1,600-Mw (2x800 Mw) power plant at Ichhapur in West Bengal. JSW Energy will hold 74 per cent in the SPV and JSW Bengal Steel the balance 26 per cent. The SPV will develop the power project and captive coal mines in Ichhapur at an estimated cost of Rs 7,680 crore and Rs 2,000 crore, respectively. The project is proposed to be financed with a debt equity ratio of 3:1. The steel producer will buy 51 per cent of the power produced from this unit and the rest will be up for sale, said the release. Share prices of the company fell 2.33 per cent on the Bombay Stock Exchange today, to close at Rs 112.95 per share.

(Source:http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/jsw-energy-to-invest-rs-4500-crore-in-coal-mines-abroad/383330/)

Mining leases to be given by Collectors

Hyderabad, 22 January 2010: Leases for mining ores and minerals will hereafter be allotted by District Collectors in place of tahsildars. Chief Minister K. Rosaiah took this decision on the final day of the two-day Collectors’ conference here on Thursday following complaints that tahsildars were issuing the leases without proper survey and study, leading to litigations.

Significant development

The decision is significant in the backdrop of the controversy over iron ore mine lands allotted to the Obulapuram Mining Company in Anantapur district belonging to the family of Karnataka Tourism Minister G. Janardhan Reddy. Briefing mediapersons on the deliberations of the conference, Revenue Minister Dharmana Prasada Rao said it was resolved to make the general manager of the District Industries Centre, the convener of the district level task force committee to facilitate establishment of information technology-based industries. Ranga Reddy, Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Medak, Kurnool, Chittoor, Kadapa, Visakhapatnam, Srikakulam, Guntur and Prakasam districts were identified for setting up food processing, fisheries, horticulture and minor forest produce industries using the sum of Rs 25 crore released to each district.

Scheme extended

Mr Rao announced extension up to March 31, the scheme to regularise illegal layouts in municipalities and municipal corporations. As owners were unwilling to sell their lands for garbage yards in urban areas, a legislation would be introduced to overcome this difficulty. Meanwhile, Major Irrigation Minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah said the government had decided to evacuate 122 of the 500 villages marked for submergence under various projects by June to impound water in some completed ones.  The 500 villages are spread over 16 districts where 33 projects are under construction.  The cost of the evacuation of 122 villages and extension of rehabilitation and resettlement package to the displaced families has been estimated at Rs 2,500 crore.

Monitoring panels

The Minister told reporters that monitoring committees constituted for Jalayagam projects would review implementation R&R package once a month.

Lift scheme

A decision has been taken to implement a lift scheme with the Godavari as the source to fill Kinnerasani reservoir to continue water supply to Kothagudem Thermal Power Station which faced water shortage now. The lift scheme would be completed in two months.  It was also resolved at the meeting to modernise the Warangal airport at Mamanur by acquiring another 200 acres of land.

(http://www.hindu.com/2010/01/22/stories/2010012257510400.htm)

 Orissa, India’s new mining hub

Bhubaneswar, January 20, 2010: Orissa is the ninth largest state by area in India, and the eleventh largest by population but soon the state may become a mining hub for the country with several global companies showing interest in setting shop in Orissa. One main reason for this is the good governance shown by the BJD in Orissa during the past years and big companies now believe that like Gujarat, Orissa is also a good destination to invest their money. Orissa is subject to many natural calamities like cyclones but the state has several minerals and it is the main attraction for companies like ArcelorMittal.  Orissa is also home to the Hirakud Dam, one of the longest dams in the world. Orissa has several popular tourist destinations also. Giving an indication to the things to come, a high-powered six-member business delegation from United Kingdom this week expressed its keen interest to explore and develop trade ties with the mineral rich Orissa.  The delegation, headed by British deputy high commissioner Sanjay Wadvani, met industry leaders and senior officials of the state government. British deputy high commissioner Wadvani told reporters that mining, advanced engineering, infrastructure, education and low-carbon solutions were the areas where UK companies would be keen to do business in Orissa. Mining is the key strength of UK industry, especially coal mining. The UK has huge strengths in all parts of the coal value chain: prospecting, exploration, mine planning and designing, geological assessment of coal deposits, rock mechanics, underground and open cast coal mining equipment and coal washing, which is increasingly becoming important for environmental reasons, Wadvani said. Meanwhile, the project of ArcelorMittal in Orissa was moving satisfactorily. Though AreclorMittal India Limited signed a MoU with the state government on December 22, 2006 for setting up a 12mtpa greenfield steel project at an investment of Rs 40,000 crore, it has not acquired an inch of land for the purpose. Of its requirement of 8,000 acres under Patna tehsil in Keonjhar district spread over 15 villages, the company has completed Gram Sabha in more than half of them and secured the consent of the people.

(Source:http://www.commodityonline.com/news/Orissa-India%E2%80%99s-new-mining-hub-24922-3-1.html)

Centre classifying mining regions

New Delhi, January 19, 2010: The Centre has initiated the process of classifying the country’s major mining regions in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Orissa, into ‘Go’ and ‘No Go’ areas for coal exploration.  “We have mapped the North Karanpura coalfield in Jharkhand, where we have identified 59 mines, of which 38 happen to be in the go areas. These are in forest areas where tree density is low and the coal ministry can ensure maximum production. The rest are in no go areas where mining is strictly prohibited,” Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said at the editors’ conference on social issues on Monday. A similar exercise has been done in Talcher in Orissa where 40 mines have been marked under ‘Go’ category and 16 in ‘No Go’ category. On the contentious issue of Bt Brinjal, Ramesh revealed Orissa has joined the ranks of Bihar and West Bengal in opposing the commercial production of the genetically modified vegetable.

(Source:http://www.dailypioneer.com/230241/Centre-classifying-mining-regions.html)

CIL, NTPC at loggerheads

Kolkata January 19, 2010: The Planning Commission’s order to Coal India Ltd (CIL) to import 4 million tonne (mt) coal for NTPC Ltd is in a limbo with both CIL and NTPC locking horns on procedural issues.  While CIL wanted an undertaking from NTPC that it will take the entire 4 mt imported for it, the power generating PSU insisted that it will not put its signature to any sort of undertakings.  NTPC director (projects) Chandan Roy said the Commission has directed the import and that doesn’t call for any undertaking. ‘‘Member Energy Planning Commission has asked to import and we don’t need to give any undertaking,’’ Roy said, to which CIL chairman Partha S Bhattacharyya retorted: ‘‘What is the guarantee that they will lift the entire coal even if the import is meant for them?’’  In 2008-09, CIL imported 4 mt of coal but only one state electricity board finally lifted only 2,75,000 tonne. ‘‘We had nothing to do with the rest,’’ Bhattacharyya said. CIL has written to NTPC asking for an undertaking but there has been no response so far, the chairman added.  The NTPC director confirmed that NTPC had got the letter, but told FE: ‘‘We have not taken a call on it yet.’’  Meanwhile, the coal giant foresees a shortfall of 110 mt from its production target of 520 mt by end of the 11th Plan period in 2012 with around 17 of its new mining projects not getting the clearance from the environment and forest ministry.  Bhattacharyya said if the concerned states and the Centre give the environment and forest clearance by this fiscal-end, CIL could reduce the gap by 47 mt.  The hassles in getting environment and forest clearance will also hamper CIL’s production growth, Bhattacharyya said.  ‘‘In 2007-08 our production growth was 5.3%, in 2008-09 it touched 6.4%. In 2009-2010 it will be 7.6% but we will be back to 6.4% and 5.7 % in 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 respectively for delay in environment and forest clearances,’’ he added.  Turning to the company’s IPO, he said it was likely to hit the market by September-October.  ‘‘We are going to appoint consultant soon and the way we are moving, the CIL IPO is likely to hit the market by September-October,’’ he said.  He said the consultants need not be merchant bankers.  Sriprakash Jaiswal, minister of state for coal had stated recently that the government would list CIL... in six to eight months. The company will be disinvested through an Initial Public Offer, he had said. The CIL chairman had also said there were plans to offload around 10-15% stake in CIL in the first phase....

(Source:http://www.financialexpress.com/news/cil-ntpc-at-loggerheads/568826/0)

Growth, but not at cost of ecological security: Ramesh

New Delhi, January 19, 2010: India needs economic growth but not at the cost of ecological security, Environment and Forests Minister Jairam Ramesh said Monday, stressing that a fundamentalist view on development or environment would harm the nation’s interests. “My job is to ensure a balance between environment and development. India has witnessed an economic growth and we need it more, but we have to ensure that ecological security is maintained,” Jairam Ramesh told reporters here. He was speaking at the 10th Editors Conference on social sector issues. The minster said that India needed to walk on two legs. “We cannot be growth fundamentalists and we cannot be environment fundamentalist too. Somethings we have to say ‘yes’ to, somethings ‘no’ and somethings ‘yes, but…’.” For example, he said, India needs 13,000 MW of electricity. “And 7,000 MW comes from coal-based power generators. We cannot say no to coal mining. Some of these coal mining areas are in rich forest areas which are ecologically sensitive. We have to maintain a balance.” The minister said the government was identifying the areas where coal mining can be undertaken and where it cannot be allowed. “We have distinguished some ‘go’ areas and ‘no-go’ areas. We have mapped the north Karanpura (Jharkhand) coalfield, where we have identified 59 mines, of which 38 are go areas.”  He said these forests have low tree density and coal mining can be done there. Jairam Ramesh also stressed that as the environment minister he wanted to ensure that central legislation of the Forest Conservation Act and the Environment Protection Act were implemented properly. “I won’t name them, but some states see them (these laws) as impediments,” he said.

(Source:http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/business/growth-but-not-at-cost-of-ecological-security-ramesh_100305817.html)

UK Companies keen on doing business in Orissa

Bhubaneswar, January 19, 2010:: A high-power six-member business delegation from United Kingdom on Monday expressed its keen interest to explore and develop trade ties with the mineral rich Orissa. The delegation is currently on a two-day tour to the state.  The delegation – headed by British deputy high commissioner Sanjay Wadvani, met industry leaders and senior officials of the state government on the sidelines of a seminar organised here by the Confederation of Indian Industry and discussed possible areas of business opportunities. Speaking to reporters, the British deputy high commissioner Mr Wadvani said mining, advanced engineering, infrastructure, education and low-carbon solutions were the areas where UK companies would be keen to do business in Orissa. “Mining is the key strength of UK industry, especially coal mining. The UK has huge strengths in all parts of the coal value chain: prospecting, exploration, mine planning and designing, geological assessment of coal deposits, rock mechanics, underground and open cast coal mining equipment and coal washing, which is increasingly becoming important for environmental reasons,” Mr Wadvani said. He asserted that cleaner coal technologies were one area where the UK had leveraged the opportunities in eastern region to introduce a number of UK companies to the region. Stating that UK can partner with Orissa in sustainable construction, regeneration, transport infrastructure such as road, rail, ports and airports and water, waste water infrastructure and environment, the deputy high commissioner said this would precipitate “iconic” development. Mr Wadvani also emphasized on cooperation in the field of first-rate education, research and science. Industry secretary Sourabh Garg, Paradip Port Trust chairman K. Raghuramiah were among the dignitaries present in the seminar.

(Source:http://economictimes.indiatimes.com)

Ramesh for realistic 'green' scrutiny for infra projects

Sunderbans, January 18, 2010: The implementation of large industrial and infrastructure projects in the country is likely to become more fractious with the Ministry for Environment and Forests (MoEF) pushing for severe scrutiny of proposed undertakings that infringe forested areas. “There is an unrealistically low rate of rejection (of projects by MoEF). Over 95 per cent of projects that come to us for environment clearances get approved, and over 90 per cent of forest clearances get approved. I want to reverse this trend,” Environment and Forests Minister Jairam Ramesh told Business Standard. The minister, who recently visited the Sunderbans, said that “no compromises would be made on certain basics” and projects would have to be shifted elsewhere if they posed a threat to forests. The move could especially hit the mining industry, as much of India’s resources are locked in areas under forest cover, and infrastructure projects such as highways and railway expansion. For instance, the ministry has shot down a proposal for open cast mining by Adani Power in the jungles adjoining the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra, apart from rejecting five projects for mining in the Hansdeo region of Chhattisgarh. Moreover, the ministry has also been averse to the construction of the Navi Mumbai international airport which could destroy over 400 acres of mangroves and a number of NHAI (National Highways Authority of India) projects in Madhya Pradesh have been disapproved as they would cut through crucial animal corridors connecting national parks. “There is huge pressure on me to clear these projects but a point has been reached where we have to take a tough stand. I know that there will be a backlash (from the industry) but this will have to be done,” Ramesh said. However, MoEF has started an exercise with the coal ministry to identify “go” and “no-go” areas for the major mining regions of the country. “The survey for the North Karanpura coal field in Jharkhand have been completed. Of the 59 mines in question, work can be undertaken in 38 mines and 21 mines have been marked as ‘no-go’ areas. Similar exercises will be undertaken for all major coal fields and will be based on satellite data that provides us with broad indicators,” Ramesh said. The study for seven major coal fields, including Talcher and Ranigunj, is likely to be taken up over the next two months.

Ministry awaits Orissa clearance

The Ministry for Environment and Forests (MoEF) is still awaiting an assessment from the Orissa government before working towards a final clearance for Vedanta's bauxite mining project in that state. Although the MoEF had given an in-principal approval for the project in Niyamgiri Hills of Orissa, since the facility involves forest and non-forest land, construction on the former is not authorised until the final approval is procured, Union minister for Environment and Forest, Jairam Ramesh said. Stipulations under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 also have to be met before the clearances are granted. “I had written to the Orissa government a month back, asking the chief conservator of forests to look into the matter. They must respond to this immediately,” Ramesh said.

(Source:http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/ramesh-for-realistic-%5Cgreen%5C-scrutiny-for-infra-projects/382960/)

Tribals make poor progress, stay at bottom of heap

New Delhi, January 16, 2010 : The first ever UN State of the World’s Indigenous Peoples Report (2010) finds that indigenous people across the world suffer disproportionately high levels of poverty, illiteracy, poor health and human rights abuse. The poverty levels of India’s tribals have remained persistent over time and are lower than those of Scheduled Castes, on a par with those of sub-Saharan countries, says the report which was released globally on Thursday.  Indigenous peoples — in both developed and developing countries — make up 5% of the world’s population but 15% of the poor and one-third of the 900 million extremely poor rural people. Their health indicators are even more skewed: more than 50% of indigenous adults suffer from type-2 diabetes, life expectancy of Australia’s indigenous people is 20 years lower than the rest of the population, and in the US, a native American is 600 times more likely to contract tuberculosis.  Indigenous children face obstacles in their access to education and the teaching in schools is often irrelevant to their culture, while traditional knowledge is not respected by educators. Ninety per cent of all languages, many of them spoken only by indigenous people, will become extinct within 100 years. Pharmaceutical companies have been granted over 7,000 patents for the unauthorized use of traditional knowledge or the misappropriation of medicinal plants, including for a pesticidal extract from the Indian neem tree. The report sharply criticizes the influence of free-market ideology on policy decisions, saying that the benefits of ‘‘privatization of state activities and an increased role for the free market, flexibility in labour markets, and trade liberalization... frequently fail to reach the indigenous peoples of the world, who acutely feel their costs, such as environmental degradation and loss of traditional lands and territories.’’ Where colonialism once threatened their existence, the economics of globalization, especially the entry of western conglomerates in extractive industries in the developing world, is now increasing their marginalization. Large dams and other big infrastructure projects have displaced indigenous peoples across the world without adequate compensation, the report notes, citing the example of the displacement of tribals in Manipur by the building of hydroelectric dams and of Santhal adivasis in Jharkhand by mining companies. Moreover, the UN’s Special Rapporteur on the human rights of indigenous peoples has reported receiving ‘‘many reports from countries such as India, Indonesia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia and Thailand, of arbitrary arrest or fake criminal charges made against members of indigenous and tribal peoples, as well as other forms of threats and intimidations, as a result of their mobilization to defend their rights against State authorities.’’ The report stresses the need for an acceptance of the collective rights of indigenous communities and an end to the criminalization of their protests. Despite having contributed the least to global warming, indigenous peoples are the ones most at risk from the consequences of climate change because of their dependence on natural resources, the report states. Mitigation efforts can gain significantly from traditional knowledge, it adds.  The report also mentions the efforts by indigenous peoples, particularly in Latin America, to assert their collective rights chiefly through land titling.

(Source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Tribals-make-poor-progress-stay-at-bottom-of-heap/articleshow/5450938.cms)

SC continues stay on Reddys' mining activity in AP

New Delhi, January 15, 2010: Mining magnates and Karnataka's politically influential Reddy brothers on Thursday failed to get any interim relief from the Supreme  Court which continued its order staying mining activity in their mines close to the Bellary reserve forest while sending the matter back to the Andhra Pradesh High Court for speedy disposal.  The order of December 17 last year bringing to a grinding halt all mining activity of Obalapuram Mining Company Ltd, YM & Sons and Anantpur Mining Corporation in Andhra Pradesh would continue, said a Bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justices Deepak Verma and B S Chauhan. The main reason for the Bench to send back the state's appeal against the order of the HC, which had allowed mining activity despite a government order banning the mining activity due to adverse environmental reports, was that the HC would be better equipped than the apex court to understand the topography and peculiarity of the case. The Bench also clarified that the report of its own panel Central Empowered Committee damning the mining activity was not submitted pursuant to any direction from the SC and hence the mine lease holders could question its contents on merit. The line-up of counsel for the mine owners was impressive -- senior advocate K Parasaran, P P Rao, Mukul Rohatgi and P S Narasimha. And they insisted that the adverse finding -- from encroachment of reserve forest and illegal mining -- pertained to only one mine and the other two should not be made to suffer. "We have international export commitments," they said. The Bench said it was the intrinsic economic factor involved in the matter which made it to request the HC to expeditiously, prefereably within four weeks, dispose of the matter. Though the SC stayed the conditions laid down by then high court in allowing mining activity, it said this would not preclude the Rosaiah government from undertaking works to demarcate the lease area and determining the boundaries of each mine lease. Days after the CEC had submitted a report to the apex court slamming the Reddys' firms for indulging in largescale illegal mining seriously endangering the environment, the AP government had on December 7 asked the mine owners to stop mining activity. This was challenged before the high court by the Reddys. The HC had allowed them to continue with mining operations except in a 40-metre area proximate to Karnataka's boundaries of the Bellary reserve forest. It had also asked the state government to undertake demarcation of the mine lease area and to evict the lease owners from the excess area they have encroached.  The CEC in its report had recommended imposition of exemplary cost on the mine owners and alleged that the AP government had turned a blind eye to the illegalities by the mine lease owners mainly because of the business partnership of Obalapuram Mining Compnay Pvt Ltd (OMC) managing director Janardan Reddy, a cabinet minister in Karnataka, with the son of former AP chief minister Y S R Reddy.  After the CEC filed its report, the ministry of environment and forest (MoEF) had filed an affidavit suggesting that the demarcation of the mines ostensibly in the forest area be carried out by the Forest Survey of India team as the Survey of India team could not carry out its job after the state government failed to provide it with adequate security.

(Source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/SC-continues-stay-on-Reddys-mining-activity-in-AP-/articleshow/5445831.cms)

Bengal allots coal block located in aerotropolis project area

Kolkata, January 14, 2010: West Bengal is facing a toss-up between industrialisation and utilising its coal reserves. The latest case in point is a coal block allocated to a consortium comprising ACC, Uttam Galva Steels and three other Kolkata-based companies. The block happens to be in the project site of the greenfield airport city, Bengal Aerotropolis. The state government has conveyed to the consortium, which has been allotted the Moira-Madhujore coal block with reserves of 685 million tonnes, that the top soil will have some construction. The concerned companies promptly approached the coal ministry. Uttam Galva sources said: “We are protesting and have written to the coal ministry.” Sources in Adhunik Corporation, a part of the consortium, said a lot of the coal would be lost if the Bengal Aerotropolis project was not realigned. “After all, that is a real estate venture and natural resources should not be sacrificed for the project. We have taken it up with the coal ministry. Let the Central government take it up with the state,” sources said. Early last year, the airport city project being developed by Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Ltd (BAPL) — which is 26 per cent owned by Singapore’s Changi Airports International — was shrunk 400 acres and shifted eastwards to free some coal reserves of the Coal India subsidiary, Eastern Coalfields Ltd (ECL). The state government signed a settlement with Coal India that offset its coal reserves for the Bengal Aerotropolis project because it was infringing into ECL’s licensed area. BAPL CEO Subrata Paul said he was unaware of the location of the Moira-Madhujore block. According to sources in the industry, the entire area had reserves of around 4,000 million tonnes. Coal India had highlighted this point, too. Coal India raised objections to having industrial projects in the Asansol-Durgapur belt in Bardhaman district that has been earmarked by the West Bengal government for three steel projects — Bhushan Steel, Videocon and Abhijit group — apart from BAPL, on grounds that it is coal-bearing, though not a part of its licensed area. The combined investment in the three steel projects is around Rs 49,000 crore. The state government has maintained that the coal was at a depth where mining would be unviable. Industry observers said if the BAPL project was not shifted and the state government stuck to its ground, then it could set a precedent for future projects. Both ACC and Uttam Galva would use the coal for its projects outside Bengal. The state’s Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Commerce and Industry Minister Nirupam Sen had met the coal minister for allotting pending coal blocks to companies that were setting up projects in Bengal. But the government has halted the process of allocation as, according to the Mines and Minerals Development & Regulation (MMDR) Act, which is being amended, coal blocks have to be auctioned. State government sources said if the state did not have a say in the auction, then projects outside Bengal could get the blocks. “If the state wanted, it could deny surface rights,” they said, in which case it would be a re-run of the policy adopted by the Jharkhand and Orissa governments for iron ore, which ensured that value addition would have to happen in the state.

(Source:http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/bengal-allots-coal-block-located-in-aerotropolis-project-area/382642/)

JSPL to develop coal mines with Massey

New Delhi, January 14, 2010: JINDAL Steel & Power (JSPL) is likely to form a joint venture with US-based coal company Massey Energy to develop and operate underground coal mining projects in India, Mongolia, Australia and the US, said a person with direct knowledge of the development.  Both the companies have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for jointly executing underground coal mining. The two are yet to decide on the equity participation in the proposed joint venture. As per the agreement, Naveen Jindal-led JSPL will identify projects and obtain necessary licence, permits and approvals, while Massey Energy will develop detailed underground mining project plans, provide technical mining expertise and manpower to ensure successful project implementation. When contacted, JSPL chief executive Vikrant Gujral said, “We just signed an MoU and so, further course of action will be mutually decided. We may form a joint venture, float a special purpose vehicle or get into some technical collaboration for carrying out underground coal mining jointly. But, nothing has materialised so far.” In a statement, Massey Energy chief executive Don Blankenship said, “By combining our technical expertise in underground mining with JSPL’s broad portfolio of international assets and businesses, we will be able to establish profitable joint ventures.” Delhi-based JSPL, having interest in steel, power and mining, owns several iron ore and coal mines in Chhattisgarh and Orissa. The company has also forayed into exploration and mining of high value minerals, including diamonds in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Congo. Recently, the company acquired a thermal coal mine in South Africa with reserves of more than 50 million tonnes. It had also secured mining rights for the El Mutun iron ore reserves in Bolivia in 2006. The company has mining rights to half of El Mutun’s reserves of more than 40 billion tonnes. Virginia-based Massey Energy controls over 2.3 billion tonnes of proven and probable coal reserves in the US. The company operates over 35 underground mines and 12 surface mines and draws revenues of more than $3-billion annually.

(Source:http://epaper.timesofindia.com)

Pvt miners face ban in tribal belts

New Delhi January 13, 2010: The government is considering a proposal to restrict mining by private sector companies in tribal areas, in a move that could severely impact investments of domestic and foreign majors such as Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton, Vale, Sesa Goa and MSPL. The latest version of a legislation on India’s mining sector, known as the Mines and Mineral Development and Regulation (MMDR) Bill, proposes making large parts of mineral-rich areas in India out of bounds for private and foreign companies. “The new provision has been included in a revised draft to build proper safeguards for tribal population affected by mining operations. It would ensure that mining activity happens in a sustainable manner without causing much hardship for the natives,” said a government official who spoke on condition of anonymity. The MMDR Bill is still in the drafting stage, after which it will be introduced in Parliament for enactment into law. Mining companies are sure to lobby fiercely against its latest version and it is far from clear whether this provision will make it to the final version of the bill. Officials of mining companies argue that restricting investments by private sector companies would defeat the purpose of the bill, which is intended to attract money into the sector. According to the latest version of the bill, provisions of the Fifth and Sixth Schedule of the Constitution will be taken into account while granting mineral concessions for reconnaissance, prospecting, general exploration, detailed exploration and mining.

Public sector character has to be maintained

These schedules lay down norms for the administration and control of areas, including the north-eastern states, inhabited by scheduled tribes. For private miners, the reference to these schedules would mean that mining in tribal areas can be done only by central or state government companies or by co-operative societies formed by persons affected directly or indirectly by the project. A government official said the new provision would not apply to joint ventures with private miners so long as “the public sector character” of the operations is maintained. The term, public sector character, in the Indian context usually refers to government companies owning a majority stake in a company. A representative of the body that lobbies for private miners strongly opposed the new version of the bill. “We are well aware that most of our mineral wealth is in tribal and backward areas of the country. If restrictions are put on private investment in these areas, it would spell the death knell for the country’s mining sector. Moreover, none of the foreign companies will ever venture to sink their capital in risky prospecting in such an uncertain atmosphere,” said Federation of Indian Mineral Industries (FIMI) secretary-general RK Sharma. FIMI has also written to the mines secretary asking for the deletion of the newly-inserted provision. The Supreme Court’s recent pronouncements on mining in tribal areas have been contradictory. In 1997, the apex court had ruled that mining leases could not be awarded to private companies in what has come to be known as the Samata case, after the NGO from Andhra Pradesh that petitioned the courts. But in 2001, a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court, while upholding the sale of a 51% stake in government company Balco to Anil Agarwal-controlled Sterlite, said it strongly doubted the correctness of the Samata judgement. However, the Samata ruling remains the law as laid by the Supreme court though its interpretation, particularly on whether there is an absolute bar on granting leases to private companies, remains unclear. The insertion of a provision barring mining activity by private companies, except through joint ventures, would severely inhibit investments, industry officials argue. They, however, refused to go on record on the issue. “The central public sector units have not been able to exploit and harness mineral resources properly and adequately. Besides, most of the state public sector units do not have adequate wherewithal to develop mineral resources. The private sector has contributed a lot towards the growth of the mining sector and the government should not tie its hands at this juncture,” said an official of a private sector mining company who also wished not to be identified.

(Source:http://epaper.timesofindia.com)

Probe sought into allegations of ‘illegal mining’

Khammam January 12, 2010: AICC Secretary and MLC, P. Sudhakar Reddy wanted the government to order a probe into allegations of illegal mining of iron ore and other valuable minerals in Garla and Bayyaram revenue mandals of Khammam. In a statement issued here he said, he made a representation to Chief Minister K. Rosaiah on the issue. He said that a joint team of forest officials and the mining authorities should be entrusted with the task.

(Source:http://www.hindu.com/2010/01/12/stories/2010011252630300.htm)

Environment panel to look into green nod for power projects

Mumbai January 11, 2010: In a bid to give a big push for the development of coal- and gas-based power projects in the country, the expert appraisal committee (EAC) under the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) will take up proposals for terms of reference and environment clearances for 31 projects with a total generation capacity of 35,700 Mw. The committee is scheduled to meet on January 11 and 12, for the first time this year, where it will discuss projects ranging from a minimum generation capacity of 54 Mw to the ultra mega power projects of 4,000 Mw. The committee would also consider a terms of reference for 60.9 Mw non-fossil fuel-based power plant by Seksaria Biswan Sugar Factory in Uttar Pradesh. “The ministry, headed by Jairam Ramesh, is bringing a lot of transparency for providing environment and forest clearances expeditiously to power, mining, industrial, coal and other infrastructure projects. The ministry is also aware of the long time taken in these clearances. The issue has been take up by ministries of power and coal in particular,” informed sources told Business Standard. Sources recalled that at a meeting convened by the power ministry on November 15 last year, various states had sought the ministry’s intervention for environment and forest clearances without inordinate delays. Besides, the coal ministry and the country’s largest coal producer, Coal India Ltd, had brought to the Centre’s notice that it takes two to four years to get environment and forest clearances for coal mining projects. EAC, in its communication to project developers, clarified that it would consider the proposal for environment clearance subject to confirmation of fuel and water linkage. Some of the major projects to be considered by EAC include the 4,000-Mw ultra mega power project by Tatiya Andhra Mega Power Ltd, 2,640-Mw Bhavanapadu Thermal Power Project by East Coast Energy Pvt Ltd (both in Andhra Pradesh), four thermal projects of 300 Mw each by JSW Energy at Jaigad near Ratnagiri for review of environment clearance, and four thermal power projects of 800 Mw each by JSW Energy at Chiefari near Ratnagiri (both in Maharashtra) for terms of reference. A large number of mango and cashew nut growers from Ratnagiri district in Maharashtra and non-government organisations have raised objections against these projects. A committee of MoEF had recently visited the project sites to get a first-hand information.

(Source:http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/environment-panel-to-look-into-green-nod-for-power-projects/382276/)

Forest team attacked for checking illegal mining

Mohali, January 11, 2010: A State forest department team was allegedly attacked by about half a dozen gangsters involved in illegal mining of sand in the forest areas of Mohali, leaving a guard seriously injured. While a forest guard Devinder Singh sustained serious head injuries in the attack, the Deputy Divisional Forest Officer Baldev Singh and Block Forest Officer Karnail Singh managed to escape, the Conservator of Forests Praveen Kumar said here on Sunday. The forest officials were on a night vigil in Bari Karoran village at around 7.30 pm on Saturday to check the illegal mining of sand, which is reportedly on the rise. “As the Forest officials were on the lookout for the gangsters indulging in illegal mining, a group of six persons, equipped with deadly weapons, pounced on them and launched a violent attack,” said Kumar. Forest guard Devinder Singh fell in the trap of the gangsters, who assaulted him badly and left him profusely bleeding from head, he added. The gangsters also threatened the forest officials with dire consequences if they dared to check their activities, the official said. The injured guard was admitted at Mohali Civil Hospital for treatment, and a police complaint was lodged against the accused.

(Source:http://www.hindu.com/2010/01/11/stories/2010011154480500.htm)

State to step up tab on illegal mining in forests

Tirupati, January 11, 2010: The minister for forests and environment, Dr P. Ramachandra Reddy, on Monday said that the department would spend Rs 75 crore by March 2010 as part of the ongoing mechanism to protect the forest cover in the state.  Inaugurating the regional conference of the forest department, consisting of the Rayalaseema districts, Nellore and Ongole districts at a private function hall here, Dr Reddy underlined the urgent need to protect the forests from illegal mining activities. He called on the forest personnel, members of the eco-committees and Vana Samrakshana Samitis and the public to immediately bring to the notice of the department as and when they noticed any illegal mining activities in the forest lands.  Referring to the endemic red sanders in the region, the minister said that he would pursue with the Centre to include the species into the highly endangered category of Schedule VI of the Forest Protection Act. “Steps are also mooted to seek permission for sale of 6,000 tonnes of the red sander logs through global auction soon. It would also help the government to overcome the financial crunch.” Similarly, top priority was also given to raise the sandal wood plantation. “The TTD is purchasing the sandal wood (Sri Gandham) at Rs 65 lakh per tonne. This species were predominant all over the state a couple of decades ago. But, it is getting extinct. We are raising nurseries with 10 lakh plants in Kuppam and Mangalampeta areas in Chittoor district, to start with,” he said.  Listing out the highly endangered and endemic flora and fauna, including the Kalivikodi bird species in Kadapa district, golden geko and slender loris species in Seshachalam hill ranges, Dr Reddy sought the staff to work tirelessly to protect the forest trove from smugglers and poachers. “The proposed eco-tourism project and environmental education centre would be coming up at Pulicat and Nelapattu bird sanctuaries,” he said.  The principal conservator of forests (Vigilance), Mr C. Sammireddy, chief conservator of forests (Tirupati wildlife division), Mr Mallikharjuna Rao, and senior officials from all over Rayalaseema, Nellore and Ongole districts took part in the meet.

(Source:http://www.deccanchronicle.com/nellore/state-step-tab-illegal-mining-forests-474)

Quepem residents protest overloading of mining trucks

Quepem, January 11, 2010: Residents of Quepem on Monday confronted the Quepem Assistant Director of Transport over the issue of transportation of overloaded mining trucks via Quepem town. The residents are irked with rampant transportation of overloaded mining trucks via Quepem town and that too by the side of the office of assistant Director of Transport. The residents said that there has been spillage of ore on the road which in turn causes dust pollution along the entire route of Quepem. Residents led by John Fernandes, Agnel Sequeira, Johnny Mascarenhas, Anthony Fernandes, Jose Carvalho, Piety DÂ’Costa and others questioned the RTO why public notification dated December 15, 2007, issued by the Directorate of Transport was not implemented. In reply, Assistant Director of Transport Ivo Rodrigues informed the agitators that his department was trying its level best to implement the notification and has already issued challans to a number of erring truck owners.  Not satisfied with the reply, the agitators pointing to the trucks passing by the side of the office of Assistant Director of Transport informed that if challans are issued, then why overloading is still continued. The agitators informed the RTO that due to dust pollution caused by the mining trucks, school-going children are suffering from various problems and demanded 100% implementation of the notification from Tuesday.  However, the agitators were not ready to leave the office premises unless they got a written undertaking of the implementation of the public notice dated December 15, 2007.  However, after Rodrigues gave an assurance that the notification will be strictly implemented and no trucks would be allowed to be overloaded, the agitators left the office of RTO. Police were called to maintain law and order.

(Source:http://oheraldo.in/news/Local%20News/Quepem-residents-protest-overloading-of-mining-trucks/32125.html)

Three labourers working in mine killed

Jaipur, January 11, 2010: Three labourers, working in a 250-feet deep marble mine, were on Sunday killed and six others injured when concrete from above fell on them in Nagaur district, 287 kms from here. “The mishap occurred in Makrana town, noted for marble mines, in the afternoon when the concrete fell on the labourers working there,” police said. The victims, identified as Suresh (28), Dayal Ram (28) and Bhanwar Jat (32), were rushed to a nearby hospital and declared brought dead. Condition of the injured was stated to be stable

(Source:http://www.hindu.com/2010/01/11/stories/2010011154460500.htm)

CIL's Orissa arm keen to meet target

Sambalpur (Orissa) January 10, 2010: Mahanadi Coalfields, a subsidiary of Coal India Limited, expects to achieve its ambitious coal output target of 110.7 million tonnes (mt) for the current fiscal.  In the first nine months of the fiscal, MCL had produced 71 million tonnes. It now faces the challenge of producing nearly 40 mt of coal in the balance three months of the fiscal to meet the target. Speaking to this newspaper, MCL chairman cum managing director, Mr S.R. Upadhyay, said "unnecessary interruptions" and illegal demands by a section local political elements and people in Talcher coalfields under Angul district affected the coal production. MCL, which was projected to be the highest coal producer among all the subsidiaries of CIL in 2009-10 fiscal, owns some precious open cast coal mines in Orissa.

(Source:http://epaper.asianage.com/ASIAN/AAGE/2010/01/11/ArticleHtmls/11_01_2010_016_014.shtml?Mode=1)

Orissa plans Rs 5,000 cr coal corridor at Angul

Bhubaneswar, January 09, 2010: The Orissa government is proposing to develop a special corridor for coal transportation from the state’s coal-bearing district Angul. The 137 km long corridor, which would be developed with an investment of Rs 5000 crore, will connect coal deposits in Talcher, Angul, Meramundali, and Chendipada. A state government official in the commerce and transport department said the corridor will be developed with rail and road networks with a view to facilitate coal supply to various industries and also transportation to ports for exports and coastal shipments. Orissa has proven coal deposits of 6,53,53 mt. The Mahanadi Coalfield Ltd. (MCL), a subsidiary of Coal India (CIL), is currently raising about 70 to 90 mt per annum. However, as many private and public sector companies are expected to make their allotted coal block operational, coal traffic from the Angul district is expected to increase manifold.  The state has lined up power plants by 21 IPPs (independent power producers) of a total capacity of 25,000 MW. Besides, a power plant of 4000 MW is coming up under the Ultra Mega Power Project(UMPP) scheme and another 4000 MW is being installed by NTPC. In brown field expansion, the AES-owned Orissa Power Generation Corporation and NTPC are adding 1,320 MW each to their facilities at Ib Valley and Talcher respectively. To add to it, several captive generating plants are being set up by aluminium, steel and ferro-alloys plants in the state. To feed these power plants, at least 142 mt of coal will need to be transported from the pit head to power stations every year. Then, coal has to be transported from the coal blocks allotted to various states and private companies to their power plants in their states. Keeping this in mind the state government is proposing to develop a special coal corridor in the district. The state government has already prepared a preliminary project report for the corridor.

(Source:http://www.financialexpress.com/news/orissa-plans-rs-5-000-cr-coal-corridor-at-angul/565155/)

Company’s assurance to court on mining dumps

Panaji January 8, 2010: The lawyers of mining company Vedanta on Wednesday assured the High Court of Bombay at Goa that the firm would remove the mining dumps at the edge of its mining lease at Advalpal village in north Goa. Petitioners, a nine-year-old Akash Naik and the Goa Foundation, have moved the court complaining that the dumps were illegal as they were not in accordance with the mining plan approved by the Indian Bureau of Mines. Moreover, the mining dumps threatened the safety of the village settlement. The bureau has filed an affidavit agreeing that the dumps were not as per the approved mining plans. The bureau has also directed the company to remove the dumps. A Division Bench of the High Court accepted the undertaking given by the company while admitting the petition. The company has, in the undertaking, stated that it will remove the dumps by April 30, a month before the onset of the monsoon. It informed the court it would seek the assistance of NEERI, an environmental agency. The writ petition was filed in June 2009 challenging the mining operations in the village and the legality of the mining lease. The petitioners said that the mine had not been operated for years and therefore, the lease had lapsed.

(Source:http://www.hindu.com/2010/01/08/stories/2010010855480700.htm)

Mines task force withdrawal in Orissa raises eyebrows

Bhubaneswar, January 8, 2010: Orissa's multi-crore mining scam controversy has cast its shadow on the Central Task Force constituted by the Union ministry of mines to probe the illegularities in the state mining sector.  The withdrawal of the Task Force from the state has raised many eyebrows. The Orissa Jana Sammilani, the organisation which filed a petition in the Supreme Court, seeking a probe into the mining scam in the state, has demanded an explanation for the withdrawal of the probe team. "We want to know the reasons for withdrawal of the task force and also the findings of the probe team," Jana Sammilani demanded.  It also submitted a memorandum to the ministry of mines. The ministry Task Force had picked 28 mines for inspection and had ordered suspension of work in eight mines after investigation.

(Source:http://www.financialexpress.com/news/mines-task-force-withdrawal-in-orissa-raises-eyebrows/564753/)

Mining scam: PCC panel to visit districts

Bhubaneswar, January 8, 2010: The committee on industrialisation and corruption in mines in the State, constituted by the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) met here on Tuesday under the chairmanship of PCC spokesman Narendra Kumar Mishra at the behest of its convener MLA Naba Kishore Das. The large-scale corruption in the mines and industry was discussed at the meeting. The committee took a decision to conduct a field inquiry into the massive loot of minerals, especially iron ore, manganese, chromite and precious gems and the transportation of the minerals with fake permits, extraction of minerals without mining plan, undue favour to mine owners, violation of the policy of value addition to minerals, indiscriminate issue of trading licences and breach of MCI, MMDR and FCA Acts. The committee would soon visit Sundargarh and Keonjhar districts and submit its report, said convener Das. Among those present were PCC vice-president Sibananda Ray, MLA Duryodhan Gartia and ex-MLA Laxman Majhi.

(Source:http://dailypioneer.com/227726/Mining-scam-PCC-panel-to-visit-districts.html)

Soaring gold prices help Hutti Mines to earn profit

Bangalore, January 8, 2010: While almost every individual across all sectors of employment have felt the heat of economic downturn, over 3,000 employees of the State-owned Hutti Gold Mines Limited (HGML) in Raichur district are having their best time ever. Consider this. The monthly salary of all employees of the company has gone up by 30 per cent, annual bonus amount hiked from Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000, employees are getting free ration from the company, and free residential quarters are in the offing. The reason? Surge in gold prices. With retail gold prices hovering close to the bench mark high of Rs.18,000 per 10 gm, the gold mining industry never had it so good. With the prices of gold not likely to go below Rs. 16,000 per 10 gm. in the coming days. A loss-making State public sector company four years ago, Hutti Gold Mines is now making a decent profit.  In 2008-09, it earned Rs 93 crore in profit. In 2008-09, the company produced 2,420.23 kg of gold with a total turnover of Rs 316.02 crore. However, the gold yield per tonne of ore has come down from 4.24 grams in 2008-09 to 4.11 this year.Disclosing this to reporters in Bangalore, the Company Chairman M P Renukacharya on Thursday said the Company has chalked out a plan to cash in on the increasing gold prices.

Joint Venture

The company wants to take up mining under joint venture with private firms in the coming days. Use of sophisticated technology is critical for increasing production. Therefore, the company wants to partner with private firms in future, Company Managing Director Chandrashekar said.

(Source:http://www.deccanherald.com/content/45584/soaring-gold-prices-help-hutti.html)

Wooing Mittal, govt notifies Bellary land

New Delhi, January 8, 2010: In what appears to be an undisguised means to woo global steel magnate ArcelorMittal chairman Laxmi N Mittal, the Karnataka Government has notified 300 hectares of mining area in Bellary district.

The State Government’s decision is clearly aimed at rolling out the red carpet to Mittal and a signal that ArcelorMittal must now quickly take steps to set up the six million tonne per annum integrated steel plant with an investment of Rs 30,000 crore in an investor-friendly country. The Government’s move on issuing the notification ahead of crucial meeting with the steel baron is termed as the Chief Minister’s keenness to show his government’s commitment towards the project. According to the latest gazette notification issued by the Government, land was notified at three locations in the Donimalai range in Sandur taluk of Bellary. This move comes in the wake of representatives of ArcelorMittal already having toured Bagalkot, Bijapur and Bellary to identify a location for their proposed steel plant. The steel baron has sought large tracts of mining area required to produce the targeted steel. The entire area is government land and is rich in iron ore deposits and land will be allotted to companies which wished to set up captive steels plants in Karnataka, State Heavy Industries Minister Murugesh Nirani told Deccan Herald here. Mittal, who has met Yeddyurappa recently, is believed to have expressed satisfaction over the prospects for the new venture.  “There are a lot of assurances from the Karnataka Government and there is a clear commitment on its part. This is my first meeting with the Chief Minister. We are very impressed with the kind of support and co-operation we are receiving from them,“ Mittal told reporters here. ArcelorMittal representatives have inspected two places in Karnataka – Kolhara in Basavana Bagewadi taluk of Bijapur district and Toranagallu in Bellary district – for setting up their proposed plant and the company is likely to finalise one of them soon.  As there is no government land available at these two places, the Government promised to allot 4,000 acres of private land, mostly farmland, as the site for the proposed plant.  “The government will provide best prices to farmers in consultation with company officials and the compensation will be higher than the market rate” Nirani said. ArcelorMittal has also promised to provide job to one person from each of the displaced families. However, there was no problem of rehabilitation in Kolhara and Toranagallu as no human settlement exists there.  Besides land, the Yeddyurappa government is also willing to provide ArcelorMittal 40 MGD water which will be drawn either from Alamatti or Tungabhdara reservoir in accordance with the demands of the company wishes to set up a captive power plant with a capacity of 750 MW. Yeddyurappa, who held talks with Mittal on Thursday, promised to clear the project in 90 days of its submission. After the meeting, the Chief Minister told reporters that “providing land for the project will not be a problem as the people of the state have already agreed to it.”  Mittal, whose ArcelorMittal controls over 10 per cent of global steel production, said good progress would be made in the next two months. “After that we will decide on signing of the MoU”.

(Source:http://www.deccanherald.com/content/45606/wooing-mittal-govt-notifies-bellary.html)

Yeddyurappa, Mittal discuss steel plant plan

New Delhi, January 8, 2010: Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa and steel giant Lakshmi Mittal held a meeting here on Thursday to discuss about the latter’s proposal to set up a Rs. 30,000-crore mega integrated steel plant in the State. Mr. Yeddyurappa told presspersons that a high-level committee headed by him had cleared the six-million-tonne-a-year project on January 5 during its meeting in Bangalore. Mr. Mittal, who owns ArcelorMittal, the world’s biggest steel manufacturing group, and controls 10 per cent of the world’s steel production, said: “I have got a lot of assurances from the Karnataka Government and there is a clear commitment from them...This is my first meeting with the Chief Minister. We are very impressed with the kind of support and cooperation we are receiving from them.”  He added that a good progress would be made in the couple of months. Later, a decision on signing of a memorandum of understanding with the Karnataka Government would be decided. It is learnt that the Mittal group was shown several sites in Karnataka near the iron mines at Bagalkot, Bijapur, Bellary and Kopal, and the company is yet to finalise the place. A total of 4,000 acres of land will be allotted to the company. The project will include 750-MW captive power plant. This project will be in addition to the Orissa and Jharkhand plants being set up the steel group. Mr. Yeddyurappa also invited Mr. Mittal to be the chief guest at the global investors’ meet to be held in Bangalore on June 3 and 4.  The Chief Minister said his Government had cleared 38 projects with an investment of Rs. 1.38-lakh crore with an employment generation capacity to over 92,000 people. “This shows Karnataka remains a preferred destination of investors in India,” he said. Besides, Arcelor Mittal, South Korea’s Posco had also come forward to set up a mega steel plant with an investment of Rs. 32,300 crore in the State, he said, and added that oil company Shell was also keen on setting up its research and development centre with an investment of Rs. 1,376 crore. Earlier Mr. Yeddyurappa called on the new Bharatiya Janata Party president Nitin Gadkari and discussed with him the political situation in Karnataka and invited him to Bangalore.

(Source:http://www.hindu.com/2010/01/08/stories/2010010854230400.htm)

Ministry insists on accreditation for EIA reports

New Delhi, January 8, 2010: Consultants who carry out studies on the impact of an industrial or infrastructure project on the environment will now need to be registered and accredited with the ministry of environment. The move is aimed at improving the quality and integrity of so-called environmental impact assessment (EIA) reports and the ministry has said that after June, it will not accept reports from unaccredited consultants. In a series of articles, Mint had written about consultants passing off environmental impact reports of industrial projects in the US and Russia as those specifically created for projects in India. In some cases, the consultants had not even bothered to change minor details, such as the kind of flora and fauna found in the area near the project. “The Quality Council of India (QCI) and the National Accreditation Board of Education and Training (Nabet) will undertake the process (of accreditation). Consultants, in the past, have written these reports without adequate expertise,” said a senior official, who did not want to be identified. Apart from cut-and-paste, some of the reports are guilty of inadequacy. Projects above a specified size, including those in areas such as mining, thermal and hydroelectric power generation, infrastructure, and roads have to mandatorily go through the environmental clearance process, which is based on EIA reports and a public hearing for affected people. The clearances are given either by the state or the Union government depending on the size of the project. The accreditation scheme isn’t entirely new. It existed earlier although as a voluntary measure. “As this is now a requirement, we have been getting a lot of calls,” said Vipin Sahni, director of Nabet. The voluntary accreditation scheme saw just around 10 companies getting themselves registered in the last two years. “There are an estimated 400-450 consultants operating in this area. But the majority of projects (80% of reports) are done by the top-most organizations, which may number between 60 and 70,” added Sahni. According to Nabet guidelines, a consultant seeking accreditation needs a minimum experience of seven years in the relevant sector and should have been involved in preparing at least three EIA reports in the sector. Tapan Chakrabarti, acting director of the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute in Nagpur, one of the biggest consultants in the area and which authors approximately 40 such reports a year across sectors, welcomed the ministry’s move. “There are certain fly-by-night organizations in India, who have done such studies without even field visits. I have seen reports like these. For instance, one such report said that the river water was free from any bacteria or coliform. River water cannot be like bottled mineral water.” Chakrabarti added that accreditation is required as the number of consultants in the business is increasing rapidly. “This time we will get feedback from stakeholders and the MoEF (ministry of environment and forests). We are trying to make it transparent and it will be faster, as the accreditation process will be online,” said Sahni. Nabet and QCI will also conduct an annual review of the consultants to verify compliance and reserve the right to suspend the accreditation. Activists, however, aren’t happy with just the accreditation. They want defaulters to be permanently blacklisted. “Consistently, consultants have produced shoddy EIA reports. For a very long time, people have asked for blacklisting of such organizations, but this hasn’t been included,” said Kanchi Kohli, member of Kalpvriksh Environment Support Group, an activist organization.

(Source:http://www.livemint.com/2010/01/06234608/Ministry-insists-on-accreditat.html)

Govt projects may put endangered wildlife at stake

New Delhi, January 8, 2010:  The year 2010 maybe the international year of biodiversity but India's biodiversity hotspots are facing an unprecedented onslaught. The Standing Committee of the National Board of Wildlife, under the Chairmanship of Minister Jairam Ramesh has recently cleared roads, dams and mining projects through national parks and sanctuaries – the last vestiges for endangered wildlife.  Minister of Environment, Jairam Ramesh who has cleared no less than 15 road, dam and mining projects inside India's National Parks and sanctuaries, may have sounded the death knell for India's most endangered wildlife. These include:

• A Limestone Mining Plant on the boundary of Rajiv Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary in Andhra Pradesh, one of the finest habitats for the Tiger.

• 65 Hectares of forest land to be chopped for 3 roads passing through Gangotri National Park, home to snow leopard, blue sheep and black bear

• Submergence of 1000 hectares of forest for a dam at Narasimha Wild Life Sanctuary in Andhra Pradesh, home to the critically endangered Jerdon Courser bird.

• Diversion of 240 hectares of forest land for a 400 KV Transmission line and 21 hectares for an underground oil pipeline both at the Gujarat Wild Ass Sanctuary, only home to the Indian Wild Ass.

• Diversion of forest land for a high-power transmission line by Power Grid Corporation in Chandaka Wildlife Sanctuary, home to elephants, barking deer, sloth bears and leopards

• Diversion of forest land for road-widening by the Border Roads Organization in Askot Wildlife Sanctuary, Uttaranchal, home to the highly endangered musk deer.

Such Projects lead not only to more fatalities, they also damage long term survival and breeding patterns of wild animals. Wild expert Belinda Wright said, “We have such few areas of prime forest land that are within our protect area network. And we just cannot afford to lose even an inch of them.” However, Minister Jairam Ramesh disagrees. Jairam said, “You are being unfair, you are being very selective. There are number of projects that have been put on hold or rejected. The job of my Ministry is not to say no all the time. My job is to find a balance between environment and development.” National parks and wildlife sanctuaries form less than 4 per cent of India's land surface. In the International Year of biodiversity a complete halt on deforestation in these areas maybe the last hope of survival for India's endangered animals.

(Source:http://ibnlive.in.com/news/govt-projects-may-put-endangered-wildlife-at-stake/108372-3.html?from=tn)

Mining expert to study coalmine fire, landslide

Talcher, January 7, 2010:  A Top mining expert VK Singh of Central Mining Research Institute will be at Talcher coalfield soon to study the causes of landslide and fire in Ananta opencast mine.  Informing mediapersons about the expert’s visit, Dhanbad-based Deputy Director- General of Mines Safety, Debasish Sengupta said coal is spontaneous to heating in nature due to self-oxidation and hence no one can be blamed for it till the expert gives his opinion.  Sengupta accompanied by a team of MCL officials and trade union leaders inspected the Ananta and Bharatpur opencast coal projects on Wednesday. MCL Technical Director AK Tiwary, trade union leaders Sriballav Panigrahi and Souvagya Pradhan of INTUC and Sudarshan Mahanty of BMS accompanied the team.  The team also visited fire site at Bharatpur mine where the conveyor belts of the rapid loading system for Nalco plant were burnt some days ago. He suggested installation of closed circuit camera at the system to ascertain cause of such mishaps.  During inspection in Ananta mine, Sengupta advised coal officials not to expose the coal seam for long to avoid fire. He also prohibited works at some vulnerable sites while inspection.

(Source:http://www.expressbuzz.com)

Allow officials free access to mines, Karnataka told

New Delhi/Bangalore, January 7, 2010: Taking strong exception to the alleged prevention of Central Government officials from inspecting illegal mines in Hospet in Bellary district, the Centre has directed Karnataka to allow them free access to all mines.

Directing Chief Secretary S V Ranganath to “treat the matter as extremely sensitive and time-bound”, Union Mines Secretary Santha Sheela Nair in a letter said that the officials of the Government of India passing through any territory in the forest area anywhere in the country “may kindly not be treated as trespass”.  She added in her January 5 letter: “I am extremely sorry to note that such a situation has come to pass, and officials from the Union Ministry of Mines were prevented from discharging their duties.” She enclosed a copy of a letter from the controller general of the Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM), saying that the assistant conservator of forests and forest range officer in the Gunda reserve forest area, Hospet range, prevented officials of the IBM from proceeding through the forest area for inspection. “The officers were threatened that if they proceeded to take up the inspection, it would be treated as trespass, and that they would be prosecuted”.  Seeking the chief secretary’s “personal intervention” in the matter, Nair said the “atmosphere in which illegal mining cases are being investigated is vitiated with allegations and counter-allegations of connivance of officials at all levels.” She added: “I, therefore, urge that the officials of the IBM and the Ministry of Mines be allowed free access to all mines within the forest area if the approach is only through such forest area”. She reminded him that she should be informed of the instructions given in this regard “as the Supreme Court’s orders have to be obeyed urgently.” Nair has written a similar letter to Union Forests and Environment Secretary Vijai Sharma.

(Source:http://www.deccanherald.com/content/45416/allow-officials-free-access-mines.html)

Mining scam: protest against IBM action

Bhubaneswar, January 6, 2009: Activists of Orissa Jana Sammilani (OJS) here on Tuesday staged demonstration in front of the regional office of the Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) in protest against the latter’s alleged withdrawal from probe into mining irregularities.

‘Probe stopped’

“Much after mining scam of Orissa surfaced, the IBM teams were sent to Keonjhar and Sundargarh to study and probe the illegal mines. They promised to inquire about 28 mines in the two districts. But the inquiry was stopped midway and the teams were withdrawn. We want to know the reasons of withdrawal and the findings of the probe team,” said OJS President and veteran journalist Rabi Das.

(Source:http://www.hindu.com/2010/01/06/stories/2010010654060300.htm)

IBM officials prevented from conducting survey again

Hospet (Bellary) January 6, 2009: For the second consecutive day on Tuesday, officials belonging to the Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) were prevented by the Forest Department from entering the mining area in Vyasanakere in Hospet taluk for undertaking a survey following the directions of the Karnataka High Court in connection with the border dispute between the two mines — MSPL and S.B. Minerals.

Officials of the rank of the Regional Controller of Mines, Bangalore, R.K. Sinha, and the Deputy Controller of Mines, M.S. Waghmore, and other officials of the IBM were present for the survey.

(Source:http://www.hindu.com/2010/01/06/stories/2010010655360600.htm)

Supreme Court extends stay on mining by OMC and others

New Delhi January 6, 2009:: The Supreme Court has extended till January 14 its interim stay of the Andhra Pradesh High Court order allowing mining operations in six mines in the designated areas in Anantapur district and permitting transportation of the entire iron ore lying in the stockyards on their furnishing a bank guarantee. A Bench of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and Justice B.S. Chauhan extended the stay after hearing Attorney-General G.E. Vahanvati and senior counsel K.K. Venugopal for Andhra Pradesh and senior counsel Mukul Rohatgi, K. Parasaran and P.P. Rao for the Reddy brothers and other respondents.  When Mr. Rohatgi opposed the extension of the stay, the Chief Justice told counsel that “the main allegation is you had exceeded the areas in the mining lease. You show us by way of map or documents or other material that you are mining within your boundary and then we will consider modifying the order”. The Bench posted the matter for further hearing on January 14 and granted liberty to the parties to file additional documents. By a Government Order dated November 25 issued by the Andhra Pradesh Industries and Commerce Department, the Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC), Bellary Iron Ore Pvt. Ltd., M/s Mahabaleswarappa and Sons and the Anantapur Mining Corporation were restrained from carrying out all mining activities involving extraction of iron ore in Anantapur district. A Division Bench of the High Court, by its interim order dated December 11, 2009, suspended the operation of the GO. The Andhra Pradesh Government filed the special leave petition against this interim order. The Attorney-General submitted that it was a gross case of abuse of power. He said that the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) had in its report pointed out several irregularities committed by the Reddy brothers and had indicted them for illegal mining and for encroaching on forest land. The State had only acted on the advice of the CEC that mining activities must be stopped. He said the CEC report alleged that the OMC had extended the area of mining operations by removing the pillars that marked the boundary of the area for which the lease was granted. He submitted that the company had not allowed a survey to be conducted in the area. The matter was of serious concern as there was complete breakdown of law and order, and around 1,95,000 tonnes of minerals were mined illegally from the encroached area, he added. Mr. Venugopal submitted that the Reddy brothers (G. Karunakara Reddy and G. Janardhan Reddy) were Ministers in Karnataka and were very powerful. He said by passing the order allowing mining operations, the Andhra Pradesh High Court had taken over the functions of the Supreme Court Forest Bench. Mr. Rohatgi said that what started as a private battle had been turned into a political battle at the behest of the Telugu Desam Party. He pointed out that the CEC report, without giving notice to them, was uncalled for as the Supreme Court had never asked it to give a report. Mr. Parasaran and Mr. Rao suggested that mining could go on in two of the three mines operated by the Reddy brothers.

(Source:http://www.hindu.com/2010/01/06/stories/2010010659170400.htm)

27 miners trapped in fire at mine in central China

Beijing, January 5, 2010:  Twentyseven miners were trapped after a fire at a coal mine in central China, state media said on Tuesday. The fire occurred near Xiangtan city in Hunan province, the official Xinhua news agency said. "Rescuers had begun searching for the miners, who could still be alive," it said in a brief report. Xinhua added the municipal government and Hunan provincial work safety department had launched an investigation into the cause of the accident. China has the world's deadliest coalmining industry with more than 3,000 people killed in mine floods, explosions, collapses and other accidents in 2008 alone.

A gas blast at a coal pit in north-eastern China in November killed at least 104.

(Source:http://epaper.asianage.com/ASIAN/AAGE/2010/01/06/ArticleHtmls/06_01_2010_009_016.shtml?Mode=1)

Nalco regulates power supply to smelter on dwindling coal stock

Kolkata/ Angul January 4, 2010: The captive power plant of National Aluminium Company (Nalco) in Angul has started regulating power supply to the smelter, located next to it, owing to acute coal crisis. The Nalco CPP has reached super critical condition where it has only two days coal supply. The power supply to the Nalco smelter plant will be regulated till the coal stock of its captive power plant (CPP) stabilizes. “The CPP is currently feeding 740-750 MW of power to the smelter complex as against the normal requirement of 810 MW needed to run 960 pots. However, there has been no cut in aluminum output despite the short supply of power”, said K S Shreedharan, executive director, Nalco. He said, the coal supply from the Mahanadi Coalfield Ltd (MCL) has been less than the requirement to run all the units of CPP at optimum level. He, however, clarified that the fire at the rapid loading system at Nalco's linked Bharatpur coal mine has not hit coal supply as loading of the dry fuel is being carried out through other means. This has been possible due to perfect coordination among the Railways, MCL and Nalco authorities, he claimed.There was a big fire at the rapid loading system at the Bharatpur coal mine under MCL's command area on Tuesday. Out of the nine 120 MW units in Nalco's CPP, two units are now shut down due to maintenance and other reasons. An average of 740 MW of power is produced from the seven working units. The eighth unit will be on stream after the coal stock situation improves, said Shreedharan. Sources said, though MCL meets its annual coal supply commitment to Nalco, the supply is not evenly distributed. In some months it is low and in other months it is on the higher side. As a result, in most part of the year, the coal stock of the company is not more than three days supply. While the company requires 18,000 to 20,000 tonnes of coal everyday to build up its stock, the present supply is 14 to 15,000 tonnes per day. Nalco's smelter plant has 960 working pots, out of which 740-745 pots are presently operational due to short supply of power. The daily aluminium production stands at about 1200 tonnes. However, Nalco is now eyeing on more coal supply from MCL so that they can build up stock and produce more power by operating eight units of its CPP.

(Source:http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/nalco-regulates-power-supply-to-smelterdwindling-coal-stock/381538/)

Official team to visit Anant coal mine

Kolkata/ Angul January 4, 2010: A team of high level officials including the chairman of the Orissa State Pollution Control Board and the additional secretary of the state steel and mines department would visit the Ananta open cast mine on Sunday. A huge fire has been raging at this coal mine since Wednesday which is under the command area of Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL), putting the company authorities in a spot. Earlier, D V Swami, the Angul district collector visited the Anant mine on Saturday. It may be noted that the four fire tenders pressed into service by the state government have returned after they could not locate the fire. Meanwhile, the company authorities have assured that the mine fire would be put out in a day or two. Amalesh Kumar, general manager of Jaganath area, under which Ananta mine operates said, “Fire is common in any coal mine but there was more fire in the Anant mine due to the land slide. But everything is in control and the fire will be put out in a day or two.” Though the mine authorities have tried to downplay the issue, the incident has left the mine workers and the local villagers terrified. A 100 ft road near the office of the mine slid to more than 1000 metres below the ground level. The road which was built in 1993 was a part of the main entrance road leading to the mine. The land slide was followed by a huge fire at the Ananta open cast mine. According to the company authorities, as a result of the cracks developed by the land slide, oxygen rushed into the cracked coal seam and resulted in the fire. Sources attributed the land slide to weak foundation and water logging below the road. A Srinibash Rao, leader of Bharatiya Majdoor Sangh termed this land slide as managerial failure. No person was injured or any loss of property was damaged due to the land slide as the coal authorities had declared the road as prohibited three days prior to the mishap.

(Source:http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/official-team-to-visit-anant-coal-mine/381536/)

Hold GSPCB hearings seriously: Delhi HC

Panji, January 4, 2010: The Goa State Pollution Control Coard’s six simultaneous public hearings on five different mines at Sanguem in 2007, has led the Delhi high court to ask the Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) to take corrective steps and hold the hearings in seriousness. NGO Utkarsh Mandal had approached the court and sought the quashing of an order issued by the MoEF in 2007 granting environment clearance to Panduranga Timblo Industries (PTI) for renewal of its mining lease at Rivona. During the hearing the scheduling of public hearings by GPSCB in respect of five mines (including that of PTI) on January 31, 2007 at 11 am at Vithal Devasthan at Sanguem came under the court’s scrutiny. While setting aside the order passed by MoEF granting the environmental clearance to PTI, a division bench comprising chief justice Ajit Prakash Shah and justice S Murlidhar observed, “We find from the notice of the public hearing in the present case that as many as six public hearings were scheduled in regard to the projects (including PTI) by GPSCB on the same date and time and at the same venue.” The court also noted that it is a matter of concern that the requirement of public hearing under the EIA notification has been taken so lightly by the MoEF. “We expect the MoEF to immediately issue necessary instructions in this regard so that public hearings in terms of the EIA (environment impact assessment) notification dated 14th September 2006 take place with the seriousness which they deserve.”

(http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Hold-GSPCB-hearings-seriously-Delhi-HC/articleshow/5408511.cms)

Unscientific mining affecting Kopili hydel project

Shillong, January 2, 2010: Unscientific coal mining in Jaintia Hills has claimed a victim, affecting functioning of Kopili Hydel Project, by discharging dangerous toxic waste from the mines and acidifying the project’s reservoir water. Important machinery and structure of the dam are being corroded due to the acid mine drainage. Kopili hydel project, constructed by North Eastern Electrical Power Corporation (NEEPCO) in 1984, in North Cachar Hills, Assam generates 275 MW electricity. Twelve per cent free electricity is distributed equally between Assam and Meghalaya, besides 17 per cent to other Northeastern States. Most of the coal mines in Jaintia Hills are abandoned after extracting the mineral and many heavy metals are left exposed which subsequently reacts with oxygen to form different chemicals. Rain and underground water after being contaminated with these chemicals find its way out to fresh water bodies and pollute, in this case the Kopili river. Environmentalists all along have been raising fingers at the unscientific coal mining practised in Jaintia Hills, unsuccessfully. Most of the coal mines are privately owned and the powerful coal lobby has thwarted all moves to bring in legislation for scientific mining. “This is a serious problem,” NEEPCO Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) IP Barooah said here recently. That, this is the first case in India of a hydel project being threatened by acidic water has brought together NEEPCO officials and experts to search for an answer to the problem. “In Japan such reports of acidic water causing damage to dams have been reported, but never in India,” Barooah said. The water level in Kopili river, sources say, has gone down to four from seven, which is the pH level of pure water at 25 degree centigrade. However, NEEPCO officials aren’t willing to share technical details. Guarded NEEPCO officials are neither willing to share the cost of the damage caused to the equipments and the dam, but again sources peg the loss at about Rs 100 crore annually. “Different agencies and stakeholders would try raise this matter of unscientific coal mining in Jaintia Hills with the Meghalaya Government. NEEPCO cannot,” SN Phukan former CMD of NEEPCO, now an arbitration and engineering consultant said. Experts say, Kopili’s closure even for a year for repair works would cause hardship to energy-starved Assam and Meghalaya and the region. “The problem has been identified fairly soon and a solution would be found out,” Murari Ratnam, Director, Central Soil and Material Research Station stated.

(Source:http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/details.asp?id=jan0210/ne6)

Posco gets final nod from environment ministry

New Delhi, January 01, 2010:: South Korean steel giant Posco has finally got the clearance from the environment ministry for acquiring forest land for its proposed Rs 54,000-crore steel project in Orissa, which has been already delayed for more than a year.  “The Centre gave the final clearance for handing over 2,900 acres of forest land to us for our 12-million-tonne steel project in Orissa. We are hopeful that the state government would soon transfer the entire 4,004 acres needed for the project to us,” Posco India General Manager (External Relations) Simanta Mohanty said. Nearly 3,600 acres out of the required 4,004 acres are classified in the government category, while the rest remains under private control. “We are ready to commence work on the much-awaited project any day now,” Mohanty said, adding that the foundation stone could be laid any day. Construction of the project was originally scheduled to start in April 2008. The plant, which lies in the state’s Jagatsingpur district and involves one of the biggest foreign direct investments, is faced with the twin challenges of land acquisition and regulatory clearances. It is also awaiting mining leases. “We gave the Stage II (final) forest clearance to Posco India yesterday, while the Stage I clearance was given in 2008,” a top forest & environment ministry official said. Last year, the Supreme Court’s green bench had given a clearance to the company for use of forest land. Keen on fast clearance of the project, the steel ministry had written to the Orissa government to help resolve the land issue. The company does not have physical possession of the land as yet but is gearing up for the foundation stone-laying ceremony as on January 26, 2010. South Korean President Lee Myung–Bak is scheduled to lay the foundation stone for the project. “We now hope the state government gives physical possession of the land to us immediately after the Ministry for Environment and Forests has accorded clearance for Stage II,” Mohanty said. Nearly 3,600 acres out of required 4,004 acres fall under the government category, while the rest remains under private control, he added.

(Source:http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/posco-gets-final-nodenvironment-ministry/381378/)