The Joda mining circle under the state steel and mines department has issued show cause notices to 42 iron ore and manganese mines lease holders over last two weeks in excess raising cases and has urged them to take steps to return the amount of money they have gained by selling the excess mineral raised.

It had sent notices to around 20 miners in August this year on the same charges. In the second phase, the government has picked up 42 more miners this month, including Aditya Birla Group company controlled Essel Mining, Tata Steel and state-run miner Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC).

The transaction is likely to fetch the Centre Rs.7,000 crore

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), on Thursday, cleared a 10 per cent stake sale of the Centre’s equity holding in NMDC through the ‘offer for sale’ route. The transaction is likely to fetch about Rs.7,000 crore. The CCEA has approved the disinvestment of 10 per cent paid-up equity capital (39.65 crore shares of face value of Re.1 each) of NMDC out of the government’s shareholding of 90 per cent through ‘Offer for the sale of shares through stock exchange’ (OFS) method, as per SEBI Rules and Regulations, an official statement said here.

PANJIM: The Goa State Pollution Control Board on Tuesday completed hearing the defences of 48 mining firms, which were accused of excess ore production in comparison to the permissions granted to them by Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF). The validity of the Environment clearances (EC) issued by MoEF were also verified during the hearing.

Speaking to Herald, Chairman Jose Manuel Noronha said that the companies have been given time till October 29 to make written submissions, if any.

PANJIM: Director of Mines and Geology Prasanna Acharya on Monday air dashed to New Delhi with a 100-page report detailing mining operations in Goa over the last five years.

The report would be presented to Supreme Court’s Central Empowered Committee (CEC), whose members are scheduled to arrive in Goa on October 28 to study conditions of mines and illegalities involved.

Vedanta Aluminium Limited (VAL) resumed operations at its alumina refinery at Lanjigarh in Odisha’s Kalahandi district on Monday, after remaining shut for 10 days due to shortage of bauxite, the main raw material to produce alumina.

While the 75 MW captive co-generating plant (CPP) of the complex has been restarted, process is on to resume the operation of the refinery at a reduced capacity.

State Resists As Centre Seeks Opening Of Sector

Jaipur: The states’ monopoly over exploration and production of rock phosphate in the country’s largest reserves is not only hitting farmers but also increasing the Centre’s subsidy burden as the prices of the commodity in the international market have gone through the roof.
Even though the Union mines ministry has written to the Rajasthan government early this year to liberalise the sector, the state has initiated no action in this regard.

Firms must shell out part of earnings for reclamation, rehab works

The Central Empowered Committee (CEC) is likely to place its Social and Ecological Development Plan for restoring the environment and human habitations in the mining devastated districts of Bellary, Chitradurga and Tumkur, before the Supreme Court on November 2. If the apex court gives its nod, Rs 30,000 crore will be spent over 10 to 15 years for improving the living conditions of the people as well as restoring the environment in 130 villages located in the buffer zone of nine taluks in these districts

Global metals & mining major Rio Tinto said it was not keen on exporting iron ore to be produced from its proposed mining project in Odisha, maintaining that its priority was to cater to raw ma

VAL will first start its captive co-generating plant (CPP) to generate steam, necessary for running the refinery

A week after a temporary shutdown of its alumina refinery at Lanjigarh, Odisha, Vedanta Aluminium Ltd (VAL), buoyed by bauxite supplies of 40,000 tonnes from Bharat Aluminum Company's (Balco) Kawardah mines in Chhattisgarh, is readying to restart the plant on Monday.

The monitoring committee constituted by the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) of the Supreme Court on Friday gave its consent to three mining firms, which operated in Bellary and Chitradurga, to resume mining.

Official sources said the committee comprising three members - H R Srinivasa, Director, Department of Mines & Geology, Dipak Sarmah, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, and U V Singh, Chief Conservator of Forest - held a meeting in Bangalore where the final clearance was given to the three firms. The decision taken by panel will be placed before the CEC.