The Supreme Court on Monday issued notices to the Centre and the Goa Government on a plea that alleged that the State Government, in violation of its order, has allowed export of iron ores, purport

The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Goa government to respond to a petition alleging violation of its October 5 ban on mining and transportation of iron and manganese ore in the state. The forest bench led by Justice Aftab Alam also issued a notice to the Central Empowered Committee and two private companies accused of shipping out iron ore and posted the matter for further hearing on February 15.

The petition, filed by NGO Goa Foundation, alleged that the state government had allowed export of iron ore without verifying the firms’ claims that it was extracted in Maharashtra, not Goa.

PANJIM: State government’s reluctance to act on Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC) directions to keep in abeyance all NOCs granted for export of Maharashtra origin iron ore, has proved fruitful to the trading company ~ Prime Minerals ~ which so far has exported 60,000 metric tonnes of ore from Goa.

Prime Minerals, earlier this month, was granted NOC by the Directorate of Mines and Geology for export of 72,000 metric tones of ore, it claimed had been brought to Goa from Maharashtra. The export of the same had begun from Panjim port, a couple of days back.

The state government's plan to allow export of iron ore extracted in neighbouring states suffered a set back as the Supreme Court's central empowered committee (CEC) on Thursday directed the state

Environmental governance has failed in the country and when people rise up in arms against environmental degradation, their protests are suppressed instead of checking the damage, said ecologist Ma

GPCC president wants state govt to represent the case in SC properly

Goa Congress today alleged that the Parrikar government was handling the issue of mining ban in the Supreme Court (SC) casually, which can lead to serious problems in the state. "Goa government should appoint a good counsel to represent state in the SC on the mining issue," Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) working president Fransisco Sardinha told reporters here today.

SC stipulated that a max of 25 mn tn of iron ore can be extracted annually from Bellary district, 5 mn tn from Chitradurga, Tumkur district

Faced with the constraints on granting new mining leases in view of the cap on extraction of iron ore at 30 million tonne per annum, the Karnataka government has appealed to the Supreme Court to withdraw its order on limiting iron ore production. The state government, in a fresh appeal before the Apex Court recently, stated that the cap of 30 million tonnes per annum from the three mining districts of Bellary, Chitradurga and Tumkur would jeopardize setting up of new steel mills in the state.

PSU firm prefers to export the product board to take up the matter in its next meeting

After its alumina refinery at Lanjigarh was shut due to lack of bauxite, now operations at Vedanta’s aluminium smelter in Odisha have been hit by shortage of alumina. Time and again, Vedanta Aluminium Limited (VAL) has asked National Aluminium Company Limited ( Nalco), which has surplus alumina, to sell it the commodity at a premium, but in vain. B L Bagra, director (finance) of Nalco, confirmed VAL had offered to pay a premium over Nalco’s export price. However, he added the company’s strategy was to export alumina. Others said Nalco’s move was triggered by the company’s reluctance to encourage competition. Nalco and VAL are competitors; both manufacture and sell aluminium.

Hundreds of people here today began a chain sit-in protest demanding immediate resumption of mining activity in the state which has been on hold for the last four months following the Supreme Court

The four-member National Green Tribunal headed by Justice VR Kingaonkar barred the Environment and Forests Ministry from granting any environment clearance to Goa's iron ore mines without its approval, even as it ordered stoppage of all mining at mines whose initial clearance of five years had expired.

But the Tribunal's order has no immediate effect as all mining operations in Goa are already stayed by the Supreme Court since October on a petition filed by Goa Foundation.