New Delhi Refusing to scrap the government’s decision under which 194 coal blocks were allocated to various companies, the Supreme Court on Monday issued notices to the Centre and the CBI on a PIL seeking probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the alleged irregularities.

The PIL, filed by various members of civil society, including former CEC N Gopalaswami, ex-Navy chief L Ramdas and former cabinet secretary TSR Subramanian, has leveled allegations of unfairness and arbitrariness in the allocation of 194 blocks and sought cancellation of the licenses granted by the government.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has initiated probe into the contentious joint venture pact between the state-owned Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) and Delhi-based Sainik Mining & Allied Services Ltd (SMASL) for coal mining in the state.

Both companies had formed a JV named Kalinga Coal Mining (Private) Ltd for raising coal from Utkal D block in Angul district, allotted to OMC, with an estimated coal reserve of 138 million.

Acquisition to feed steel plants, power projects in India

Monnet Ispat and Energy Ltd (MIEL), India's second-largest coal-based sponge iron producer, is set to soon acquire majority stake in a 25-million tonne (mt) coal mine in Colombia. The Rs 1,960-crore MIEL wishes to feed its steel and captive power plants in India using the coal made available through the acquisition. “Talks are on for the acquisition; annual production capacity of the mine is 50,000 tonnes per annum,” said N C Jha, chief executive officer of Monnet’s mining business, without divulging financial details. The former Coal India chairman said the working mine had reserves of both coking and non-coking coal and the deal was likely to be clinched in a month or two.

The joint field verification of mines, which are excavating beyond their leasehold area, by the officials of the Odisha government and Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) is expected to start from November 21.

“The Shah commission had pointed out some cases of mining beyond leasehold area and has asked us to take up field verification of such leases. The field visit is set to start from November 21”, said a senior mining department official in the know of the matter.

Demanding the recovery of the national wealth, the Goenchea Xetkarancho Ekvott (GXE) has demanded criminal prosecution of the mine owners and operators involved in illegal mining.

Evkott President Dilip Hegde called upon the government to seize the assets of all mine owners and operators pending the finalisation of the criminal cases and recovery program.

Electronic sale of minerals from odisha likely to begin from Jan 2013

The Odisha government will enter into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Kolkata-based MSTC Ltd for selling of key bulk minerals like iron ore, manganese and chrome ore on the e-auction platform. The MoU would outline the roles, responsibilities, scope of work and remuneration for MSTC. A suitable government order will be issued, making e-auction compulsory.

Bhubaneswar The Society of Geoscientists and Allied Technologists (SGAT) has submitted a memorandum to the Orissa government pointing out that the penalty notices served on 104 mine owners for recovery of Rs 70,000 crore is incorrect.

The 734-member strong apex body of geoscientists and mining engineers has said in its memorandum that there is a flaw in the recovery notice and it would not stand in the court of law. “The department of steel & mines has issued missives by way of resolution and letter, which we have held to be incorrect and misconceived and do not remotely serve the interest of the mineral development”, the SGAT has mentioned in the memorandum. A high-level SGAT team had met the chief secretary BK Patnaik and steel & mines secretary Rajesh Verma and submitted the 24-page memorandum, copies of which are with FE.

JAMMU: Expressing serious concern on the growing environmental pollution due to mushrooming growth of stone crushers, brick klins and cement plant in various areas of the State, the Chairman, Envir

PANJIM: As the mining industry is going through crisis, agriculture experts have said that the mined land can be reclaimed and used to cultivate cash crops which can give far decent living to thos