Probe agency says AMC mined 40,000 tonnes of ore illegally

The CBI, in its charge sheet in the illegal mining case pertaining to the Associated Mining Company (AMC), has quantified the loss caused to the State exchequer at Rs 480 crore. The CBI had registered an FIR in the AMC case on October 1, 2011 on the directions of the Supreme Court against Janardhana Reddy and 22 others.

The High Court on Tuesday directed Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML), a defence PSU, to furnish documents pertaining to the source from which iron ore had been obtained and exported.

The Court was hearing a plea by Subramanya Shastry, an Andhra Pradesh-based share holder of BEML, who has alleged that Rs 118-crore worth iron ore was illegally exported by the company during the financial year 2007-08 without bill of lading.

Melbourne Infrastructure major GVK today said it has got environment clearance from the Queensland government in Australia for its USD 10 billion (about Rs 55,000 crore) Alpha Coal and rail project in Galilee Basin.

The clearance is a major achievement for the company and its Alpha Project which is considered to be one of the biggest coal projects in Australia, GVK said. The company is now the only Galilee Basin proponent with an approved Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), it added.

The policy deep-freeze and land acquisition woes have resulted in over 500 projects, mostly power and steel, being shelved or put on hold during 2011-12, entailing a total investment of over Rs 5,0

Steel maker to swap low-grade iron ore from captive mines within India via Orissa Mining Corp.

Dharwad-based non-government organisation, Samaj Parivartan Samudaya (SPS), which is the main petitioner in the public interest litigation (writ petition No. 562 of 2009) on illegal mining in Karnataka at the Supreme Court, has alleged that D K Shivakumar, former Karnataka minister, was involved in illegal mining activity.

The NGO is filing an interlocutory application in the Supreme Court on serious illegalities, irregularities and criminalities indulged in during the period 2000-2005 by Shivakumar and eight iron ore trading companies.

SHILLONG: In a major embarrassment for Rymbai legislator Nehlang Lyngdoh (Congress) the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) have accused him of not adhering to safety norms at a coal mine owned by him located on the Ladrymbai-Rymbai road in Jaintia Hills.

The lack of safety measures in Lyngdoh’s coal mine came to light during a visit by the NCPCR team to the coal mine on Friday. As per the letter written to the Deputy Commissioner of Jaintia Hills, the Deputy Labour Commissioner and Divisional Mining officer who accompanied the team, said, “It was noticed that there are no safety measures, labour welfare amenities etc., which may endanger the lives of labourers working in the said mine.”

New Delhi The government is set to consider a proposal for a complete ban on private-public joint ventures (JVs) for developing mineral blocks allocated to state-run corporations and public sector

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has voiced his opposition to some provisions of the Mines and Minerals (Development & Regulation) Bill-2011, stating that the bill if enacted in the current form would be a departure from federal structure of the constitution.

Pointing out that regulation of mines and mineral development is basically a state subject, Patnaik said that the MMDR Bill attempts to transfer certain powers and functions being exercised by states to the Centre.

State-owned trading giant MMTC has inked pacts with Japanese and South Korean steel companies including Posco, to supply 2.8 million tonnes of iron ore annually for a period of three years.

"We have signed iron ore supply contracts with five Japanese firms and one South Korean company for a period of three years. The exports are expected to start from July this year,"