Odisha plans to restore coastal green cover
Uprooted trees in Puri. Nearly 22 lakh trees have been destroyed in the cyclone in Odisha.Biswaranjan Rout Cyclone Fani-hit State aims at planting over 1.3 crore saplings as per a five-year scheme
Uprooted trees in Puri. Nearly 22 lakh trees have been destroyed in the cyclone in Odisha.Biswaranjan Rout Cyclone Fani-hit State aims at planting over 1.3 crore saplings as per a five-year scheme
Total of 108 lessees in the dock for producing ore in excess of the quantum approved under Act Continuing its crackdown on excess ore extracted by mine owners, the Odisha government has initiated prosecution against 11 mine owners for raising ore beyond the approved limits of Environment (Protection) EP Act-1986. A total of 108 lessees are in dock for producing ore in excess of the quantum approved under EP Act. For the balance 97 lessees, collectors of respective districts have been asked to initiate prosecution. The violations have been recorded in case of iron ore, manganese, chromite, limestone, dolomite and quartzite mines.
The state government has constituted a committee to look into cases of mining outside the lease area After taking serious note of illegal mining beyond leasehold area in Odisha, the Shah Commission of enquiry has urged the state government officials and Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) to undertake joint field verification of such cases. "The Shah panel has asked the officials of departments of revenue, forest & environment and mining to take up field visits of such mines jointly with IBM. The panel has also called for submission of a report by the end of this month”, a senior government official told Business Standard.
The Shah Commission has asked Jindal Steel & Power Ltd (JSPL) and Sarada Mines to submit relevant information on violation of Rule-37 of Mineral Concession Rules-1960 by November 11. The probe panel has sought information on whether environment clearance was available for conveyor belt of Sarada Mines’ Thakurani iron ore mine lease, the quantum of ore despatched to JSPL's end-use plant at Raigharh and if ore extracted from the mine was put to any other use.
Bhubaneswar When Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers Srikant Jena described Orissa’s mining scam as bigger than those of Goa and Karnataka put together, it might have been only a figure of speech. But indication of how big it could be has come now, with a penalty demand note of Rs 68,000-odd crore sent by the Orissa steel and mines department to the holders of 103 mining leases for excess mining between 2000 and 2010. The showcause and demand notices to companies such as Tata Steel, Essel Mining, Rungtas and Indrani Patnaik for extracting iron ore and manganese beyond the permissible limit set by the authorities came almost three years after the mining scam had broken out in the state. Incidentally, the order came when members of the Justice M B Shah Commission, now probing the scam, were touring the state for the third time in less than a year.
Bhubaneswar In a major relief for the National Aluminium Company (Nalco), the Orissa government on Thursday assured the company that there would be no restriction on mining bauxite from the Panchapatmali mines in Koraput district. As the lease tenure of the Nalco’s captive bauxite mines comes to an end on November 16, the firm was worried about sourcing raw material for its refinery at Damanjodi. There was apprehension that Nalco’s refinery and the smelter at Angul would be shut down for want of bauxite. In fact, the company is now left with only 10-15 days stock of bauxite.
Sarada Mines has been found to sell its entire run of mine (ROM) produce to JSPL without any agreement The Shah Commission of enquiry, mandated to probe into allegations of large scale illegal mining, has asked Jindal Steel & Power Ltd (JSPL) and Sarada Mines to submit relevant information on violation of Rule-37 of Mineral Concession Rules-1960 by November 11. The probe panel has sought information on whether environment clearance was available for conveyor belt of Sarada Mines' Thakurani iron ore mine lease, the quantum of ore despatched to JSPL's end-use plant at Raigharh and if ore extracted from the mine was put to any other use.
Shah panel seeks impact on Odisha's economy The Justice M B Shah Commission of enquiry probing into allegations of large scale illegal mining activities in Odisha has sought a detailed response from the government on the impact of suspension of scores of mine leases on the state's economy. “The panel chairman- Justice M B Shah has wrote to the state chief secretary, seeking the government's views on the impact of suspension of a large number of mines on the overall economy of the state. With just a little over one-fifth of mines operating, it is bound to have a cascading effect on the economy as a whole apart from hurting mining revenue collection”, a senior government official told Business Standard.
Miners, lawyers and experts in Odisha have termed as “illegal” the . 69,907-crore fine imposed on 60 iron ore and manganese miners by the state government for allegedly extracting more than the approved
Superstitions reign supreme in tribal hamlets in Odisha’s Malkangiri district Silence greets visitors at the Potrel and Usakapalli hamlets in Korukonda block of Odisha’s Malkangiri district. These hamlets border Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. After 24 children aged below five died of a disease suspected to be Japanese encephalitis in less than two months, tribal people — mostly the primitive Koyas — are under the grip of fear of “evil spirits.” They are exposed to poor sanitary conditions as their houses are located near cow and pig sheds. Despite that they believe that these spirits are responsible for snatching away the lives of their young.
Amid speculation that Larsen and Toubro Ltd (L&T) is planning to sell its stake in Dhamra Port Co Ltd (DPCL), an equal joint venture between the engineering giant and Tata Steel Ltd, the Odisha government has ruled out immediate allotment of land for the port's second phase expansion. "Allotment of additional land to DPCL for the second phase development at this stage does not appear tenable. Further claim of additional land by DPCL shall be considered by the state government on the basis of a norm (thumb rule) being formulated,” G Mathi Vathanan, secretary (commerce and transport), Odisha, stated in a letter to Santosh K Mohapatra, chief executive officer (CEO) of DPCL.