In a bid to curb illegal mining in the state, the government has decided to install CCTVs at barriers in 13 districts where mining is carried out.

The tiger is faring better in Nepal compared to four years ago, the tiger survey, whose findings were presented in Lalitpur earlier this week to mark the International Tiger Day, shows.

Four persons died due to extreme cold in North India where temperatures plummeted and fog disrupted normal life.

Union Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma on Monday urged the Uttar Pradesh government to expedite the procedures for the lease of iron ore mines in Lalitpur district of Bundelkhand region to the Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL).

“We are confident the state government would soon take positive steps in this direction,” Verma said here. RINL had already applied for the lease of iron ore mines in Lalitpur district for setting up a pellet unit in the region. A P Chaudhary, Nigam chairman and managing director, said the plant would provide direct employment to 500 locals.

Uttar Pradesh, which has about 4,000 mines of coal, silica, bauxite and granite – mostly in Bundelkhand region, has mandated e-tendering for future allotment of mining leases in the state.

This step is aimed at preventing hitherto rampant illegal mining and ushering transparency in allotment of mining leases. Under the system, lease holder will have to get environment clearance for mining within 6 months if the land area is more than 5 hectares (ha), whereas, in case of lease for mining of area of less than 5 hectares, environment clearance will not be required.

New Delhi Bajaj Hindusthan’s R12,000-crore Lalitpur thermal power project in Uttar Pradesh seems to be in trouble, with the coal ministry making it clear that it is not in a position to commit coal supply to the project under the power ministry’s 12th Plan capacity addition programme.

The Shishir Bajaj-led Bajaj Group, a sugar-to-hair oil conglomerate, recently forayed into commercial power generation through its subsidiary Bajaj Hindusthan. The subsidiary is banking on timely completion of the Lalitpur power project to have 5,000 MW operational capacity in place by 2015. Its plan could go haywire, though, if the company fails to secure fuel linkage for the project on time.

The Bundelkhand package for Uttar Pradesh may be high on the agenda of every political party.

LUCKNOW: The Japan International Cooperation Agency has expressed concerns over the implementation of its Rs 500-crore UP Participatory Forest Management and Poverty Alleviation Project (ID-P 194),

JHANSI: Unhappy over poor implementation of the Centre's Bundelkhand package, Planning Commission's deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia said here on Sunday that he would write to the chief minis

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