The menace of illegal mining continues in Alwar. A 40-year-old labourer was buried alive at an illegal mine when debris came sliding upon him at Balaheda village in Bandikui area on Friday. According to SHO Bandikui, Rohitash Devanda, some people were involved in illegal mining in forest area near Balaheda village. The mishap occurred around 2 pm.

"We have come to know that debris from a higher point on a hill came sliding upon a labourer - Mangya Ram Kumhar - and two others Dhanna Kumar (35) and Nemichand (33)," said the officer. He added that the police were not informed immediately. Some locals took the victims out of the debris and rushed them to a private hospital.

The Australian High Commission is pinning its hopes on the Odisha government and the Centre's new Mines & Minerals (Development & Regulation) MMDR Bill to pave the way for revival of its mining giant- Rio Tinto's iron ore mining project in the state.

The mining behemoth was to take up the $2 billion project jointly with state controlled miner- Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC). However, of late, OMC's reluctance to revive the project seemed to have queered the pitch for Rio Tinto.

Bhubaneswar: Though state-owned Odisha Mining Corporation has rejected a 17-year-old joint venture with Rio Tinto terming as not being lucrative, the Australian mining major is keen to revive the R

BHUBANESWAR: The State Government is seriously contemplating to revive the old agreement with Australian mining giant Rio Tinto for undertaking mining activities in the State.

MARGAO: Independent MLA Vijai Sardessai on Thursday said that Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar’s all-party meet formula exposes government’s duplicity to resolve the mining impasse.

He blamed the government and the BJP MLAs for instigating the people of the mining areas and mining dependents against the opposition. “Parrikar’s decision to convene an all party meeting appears a climb down from his confrontationist attitude and his super inflated ego. But, the utterances by BJP MLAs blaming me and Reginaldo Lourenco for the halt in mining, exposes the duplicity of the ruling party and government,” he said.

JAIPUR: It could be tough times for mine owners who have not received safety clearance from the state's Director General of Mines Safety (DGMS). A recent directive by the department has sought suitable measures for ensuring that all mines apply for the mandatory clearance soon.

Sudhanshu Pant, principal secretary, department of mines and petroleum, has written to the director of the mines and geology department urging him to initiate measures so that all operation mines gets the clearance from DGMS within a month.

Co to restart process as most approvals have expired the five-year time limit

PANJIM: Communist Party of India (Marxist) organised a workers rally from Panjim Kadamba Bus Terminus which culminated in a public meeting at Azad Maidan, to press for their demand to nationalise mining in the State and its takeover by proposed Goa Mineral Development Corporation.

The rally was addressed by Tapan Sen General Secretary of the National Unit of the CPI-M and Member of Parliament Tapan Sen as well as Thalmann Pereira, the state general secretary, Dr Vivek Monteiro and others. The rally submitted a memorandum of their demands to Collector, North Goa.

PANJIM: The Goa unit of All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) has decided to file intervention application in the Supreme Court, seeking directives for immediate resumption of all legal mining operations in Goa. The application would be filed on November 2, when the ongoing case would be heard next.

Addressing a press conference, AITUC General Secretary Christopher Fonseca said that Goa Mining Labour Welfare Union under AITUC has been constituted, which would be filing the intervention petition in Supreme Court to put across all the facts affecting livelihood of mining dependent people, with the suspension of mining operations.