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
Scrutinises mineral trade details of other three mines The Justice M B Shah Commission of enquiry on Thursday sought details on output and raising permission of Tensa iron ore mines belonging to Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL) in Koira mining circle during its first day of field trip. During mining lease record verification process, the commission members had found some mismatch between its actual raising area details and map shown on Google Earth.
The state is the highest producer of high-quality sized iron ore and fines, with annual output surpassing 75 mn tonnes Odisha, the largest producer of iron ore in the country, is mulling canalisation of iron ore trade by appointing a designated agency in order to bring in transparency and generate more revenue. The single-point trading process is likely to push iron ore rates and impact margins of steel makers across the country who depend on the state for the raw material supply, as many other major producers, such as Karnataka and Goa, have restricted output.
Bhubaneswar It is like carrying coal to Newcastle. Orissa, which already has a huge reserve of iron ore and bauxite, is, of late, importing the two raw materials. Realising this, the state government has now decided to put in place a mechanism to ensure raw material supply from the state mines to the mineral-based industries in the state. The state government has constituted a three-member ministerial panel under the chairmanship of finance minister Prasanna Acharya to formulate a policy to ensure smooth supply of minerals such as iron ore, bauxite, manganese and chrome ore to industries based in the state on a long-term basis. The other members of the committee include industries minister Niranjan Pujhari and steel & mines minister Ranjani Kant Singh.
The state steel & mines department is not in favour of a complete ban on export of iron ore to help curb illegal mining activities. The M B Shah Commission of enquiry probing into large scale mining activities without lawful authority had recently sought the views of the state government on whether export of iron ore should be prohibited to control illegal mining. “We are not in favour of a complete ban on iron ore export as it will not be in the interest of the state government as well as leaseholders. The department is of the opinion that a limit on exports can be fixed. But nothing has been decided yet and a final decision will be taken at the highest level,” said a source at steel & mines department.
Ahead of its Odisha visit scheduled for November 2, a nine-member public accounts committee (PAC) of the Parliament has asked the state government to clarify the basis on which recommendations were made for award of coal blocks to companies. The PAC is also keen to be informed on whether the state government vetted the balance sheets of coal block applicants. Besides, the committee has asked if there was any end-use plant and the progress achieved by the companies on such plants. The PAC is scheduled to hold talks with the chief secretary B K Patnaik and other top state officials on November 3. The Parliamentary panel is led by seasoned BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi.
The recent order of the Joda mining circle office to 10 miners, who are waiting for renewal of their mining leases, to restrict iron ore output only to the extent of their captive plant need until the completion of the lease renewal process, is likely to result in 27 million tonne (mt) production loss per year, trade estimates said. The order follows a recent state government resolution that mines having value addition industry attached to it will be given priority at the time of renewal of mining leases.
In a blow to Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd (RINL), the Odisha government has refused allotment of iron ore mines in favour of the navratna PSU. The state government has communicated its decision to the steel maker, citing its inability to allot iron ore mines since it has already decided to reserve all the balance mineral bearing areas in favour of its own PSU- Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC). “Your request for allotment/reservation of good iron ore blocks in Odisha in favour of RINL may not be considered as the state government through a resolution dated September 18, 2012 has decided to reserve the remaining area bearing iron ore for undertaking prospecting or mining operation through OMC”, B Behera, under secretary (steel & mines) wrote to RINL's chairman and managing director.
The Joda mining circle has sent notices to 10 mines under its jurisdiction to restrict their productions as per their captive needs until the renewal of their mining leases. The order, issued in line with a recent resolution of the government, is likely affect productions of five mines which do not have any user industry to consume the mineral.
The Justice M B Shah Commission of enquiry probing into large scale illegal mining activities has urged collectors of Sundergarh, Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar- the three mineral rich districts in Odisha, to furnish details of all iron ore and manganese leases on or before November 1. “During the examination of records from October 4-11 in Bhubaneswar, it is observed that the district collector is supposed to grant surface rights for working to extract minerals from the granted mining leases. You are requested to furnish the detailed list of all iron ore and manganese ore leases in your district”, Sudhir S Shah, registrar, M B Shah Commission of enquiry wrote to the collectors of Kenjhar, Sundergarh and Mayurbhanj.
The Joda mining circle under the state steel and mines department has issued show cause notices to 42 iron ore and manganese mines lease holders over last two weeks in excess raising cases and has urged them to take steps to return the amount of money they have gained by selling the excess mineral raised. It had sent notices to around 20 miners in August this year on the same charges. In the second phase, the government has picked up 42 more miners this month, including Aditya Birla Group company controlled Essel Mining, Tata Steel and state-run miner Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC).