The Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC) has approved 16 iron ore mining lessees in Karnataka to resume operations, but has not permitted them to produce more than a third of their earlier annual sanctioned capacity.

These mines together have been allowed to produce 8.24 million tonnes (mt) per annum, as against their original sanctioned capacity of 26.48 mt.Sesa Goa, with sanctioned capacity of six mtpa, has been allowed to mine only 2.29 mtpa, about 38 per cent. It has a lease area of 163.5 hectares in Chitradurga district.

S R Hiremath, convenor of Samaja Parivartana Samudaya (SPS), has claimed that the Central Empowered Committee (CEC), appointed by the Supreme Court to examine aspects of mining in the State, has offered a biased view favouring mining companies.

At a press conference, he said “Initially, excellent reports on illegal mining were submitted, focusing on the impact on the environment. Now, they submit reports clearly favouring the companies by recommending that the operations be resumed, without explaining their impact on local people, agriculture or the environment.

The Supreme Court today asked the National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC), the associations representing various private industries related to mining and iron ore and the Karnataka government to draft a scheme for the e-auction of iron ore. They will also evolve a pricing mechanism.

The court did not pass any order granting relief to the mining firms but promised to do so on August 17, after examining the report of the Central Empowered Committee. The committee submitted its report to the bench headed by Justice Aftab Alam. Since the three judges on the bench wanted to read the report, they adjourned the hearing till next Friday.

Bhubaneswar: Justice M B Shah Commission of enquiry appointed by Government of India to probe illegal mining in the states has sought survey and demarcation reports of 47 out of a total of 195 mine

The Madurai district police arrested 21 persons accused of violating various norms in connection with the granite quarry operations here on Wednesday.

Based on the complaints from the Village Administrative Officers, the Keelavalavu and Othakadai police had registered criminal cases against granite quarry staff and operators including the partners/directors of PRP Granites and Exports, Sindhu Granites and Olympus Granites, among others. In the process of granite quarrying, the workers had allegedly indulged in trespass, encroached into government land, suppressed evidence and deviated from licence norms for quarrying.

Scrutiny reveals plenty of alleged violations

At least five water bodies appear to have been destroyed by granite quarry operators. This is the finding from the teams which are in the process of inspecting the granite quarries for alleged violations in Madurai district till Wednesday. Based on the former Collector U. Sagayam’s report on the deviations allegedly committed by granite companies in mining activities, the officials got into the act of carrying out an inspection.

Pollution of fresh water sources has come to haunt big names in the mining industry in Goa which have been issued notices by the Goa Water Resources Department for polluting water bodies through du

Outsourcing would reduce SAIL's mine development investment by around Rs 2,500 crore

Steel maker SAIL has decided to outsource the development of two huge virgin iron ore mines at Rowghat in Chhatisgarh and Chiria in Jharkhand, a company official has said. "Rowghat, which will have a capacity of 14 million tonne per annum and Chiria, 15 MT, are crucial for SAIL's capacity expansion," Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) Director,

Two faces known for supporting mining & hydel power inducted in Forest Advisory Committee