Wildlife Society of Odisha (WSO) has urged the ministry of environment and forest (MOEF) to initiate action against the state-owned Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) for violating the Forest (Conserv

Tribal affairs ministry’s advice to include more villages ignored

The Odisha government will conduct gram sabhas in 12 villages of Kalahandi and Rayagada districts between July 18 and August 19 to decide fate of the proposed bauxite mining for Vedanta atop Niyamgiri hills despite objections by the union tribal affairs ministry.

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.

Congress and BJP on Monday cornered the Odisha government by posing difficult queries on the multi-crore mining scam and demanding CBI probe into it.

Justice M B Shah Commission, which is probing the mining scam in different states, shall have to visit Odisha for third time as it cannot complete the probe in its current visit.

The seven-year wait to set up the greenfield steel project in Odisha’s Jagatsinghpur district may be over for Posco, the fourth-largest steelmaker in the world.

Vedanta Aluminium Ltd has sought a level playing field by seeking a waiver on public hearings on grounds that they were conducted twice — in 2003 and 2009 — to build the refinery and smelter.

A crucial high level official meeting of the Orissa government chaired by chief secretary B K Patnaik on Tuesday decided to consult South Korean steel major before recommending the revised agreement to chief minister Naveen Patnaik for his approval.

TOP Orissa government officials suppressed vital information relating to violations of forest norms by Jindal Steel & Power, enabling the company to get a primary approval from the ministry of environment and forests for its proposed 6 million tonne steel project at Angul, Orissa, a leading activist told ET.

"Official records obtained under RTI (the Right to Information) reveal that there h