MYSURU: BJP leader K S Eshwarappa on Sunday demanded the cancellation of iron ore mining lease to 10 companies. He said that the party will not keep quiet till chief minister Siddaramaiah does not withdraw
The Odisha government has allowed miners working under special conditions after expiry of lease validity to sell iron ore raised before October 2012 in the open market, which traders say would boost supply by around 10 million tonnes (mt). "The lifting of the restriction would enable miners to sell iron ore and fines stacked since October, which would be somewhere between nine and 10 mt. It’s a welcome step and will boost ore availability for steel makers,” said Prabodh Mohanty, a spokesperson for the East Zone Miners' Association.
In an affidavit to the SC, coal ministry says state governments may own blocks but it has the final say The coal ministry, in an affidavit to the Supreme Court, has said that it has the sole legal right to allocate coal blocks even as the state governments own the blocks and eventually grant the mining leases. In response to the query of the apex court, which questioned the ministry’s authority in this regard, the coal ministry said that though there was no express statutory provision, a combined reading of the Coal Mines Act and a later amendment in the MMDR Act, introducing competitive bidding, gave it the final say in the matter of allocating all major minerals.
The CBI is likely to question representatives of three state government-run public sector undertakings (PSUs) next week in connection with its probe related to the Coalgate scam. According to sources, the state government PSUs who were allocated blocks include Chhattisgarh Mineral Development Corporation Limited, West Bengal Mineral Development Trading Corporation, Jharkhand State Mineral Development Corporation and Maharshtra State Mining Corporation.
Iron ore supply likely to be disrupted further in Karnataka if panel finds fault with these miners Supply of iron ore to steel mills in and around Karnataka might be disrupted further if the central empowered committee (CEC), appointed by the Supreme Court to probe alleged irregularities of nine mining companies, including Sesa Goa Ltd, finds fault with the firms. The forest bench of the apex court, hearing a fresh interlocutory application (IA) filed by the petitioner in illegal mining, Samaj Parivartan Samudaya (SPS), a Dharwad, Karnataka-based non-government organisation, directed CEC on February 1 to initiate the probe and submit a report to it.
PANJIM: Labour unions in Goa have filed several cases against mining firms and allied industries for large scale suspension and layoff of workers since October 2012, salary cuts, which are against the
Experts and mining bodies in Odisha have criticised suspension of mining in the state, saying the irregularities in the system could have been rectified while mining was still on. They said they fear the suspension will lead to a complete ban on mining in the state on the lines of Karnataka and Goa, where the Apex Court imposed a ban in 2011 and 2012. “Closing down of mines is suicidal for the development of mineral-based industries,” said P K Jena, former directorgeneral of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and chairman of Institute of Advance Technology and Environmental Studies.
Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Monday said he would seek to convene a meeting of concerned ministries in a bid to thrash out a solution to the problems faced by mining industry in Goa. He assured this after meeting the pro-mining agitators, holding chain sit-in protests under the banner of Goa Mining Affected People's Front (AMAPF), at Azad maidan here for over a fortnight.
The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) to look into the alleged illegalities committed by some mines including Sesa Goa and Mysore Minerals in Karnataka. It also asked the CEC to assess the quantum of loss caused to the exchequer on account of illegal mining by lease holders in categories A, B, and C. A three-judge green bench headed by Justice Aftab Alam asked the Supreme Court-appointed panel to study and file a report on the allegations made by Samaj Parivartan Samudaya, an NGO, which had sought a probe by the CBI or the Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the alleged illegalities committed by some mines under A, B, and C categories in Karnataka.
The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) to look into an NGO’s plea seeking CBI probe against former Karnataka Minister D K Shivakumar, his brother D K Suresh and nine other mining companies in connection with illegal iron ore mining. A three-judge bench presided over by Justice Aftab Alam told the CEC to submit a report after examining the application filed by Dharwad based-NGO Samaj Parivartana Samudaya (SPS).
Goa Mining Affected People's Front has demanded a raise in the dole announced by the state government and resumption of stalled activity in a sustainable manner. "Firstly, we have not asked the government for any schemes or packages. How long will the government support the people? The amount proposed is not adequate....We do not want to live like beggars but want a life of dignity", Christopher Fonseca, spokesman, Goa Mining Affected People's Front (GMAPF) told PTI. The organisation, which has been holding demonstrations at Azad Maidan here for the last two weeks, said it would intensify the protests across the state if their demands are not looked into.
