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.

Bhubaneswar The worst fear of Orissa Mining Corporation (OMC), state government-owned company, has come true. The company has lost iron ore worth R34 crore in rains.

Sources in OMC say iron ore fines dumped at Gandhamardan mines and Kumitar mines have been lost due to rains. A huge stock of iron ore were lost as it could not take adequate storage measures to protect minerals, sources said, adding the company is now trying to recover the washed out fines.

Miners, lawyers and experts in Odisha have termed as “illegal” the .

Bhubaneswar The Orissa government’s decision to recover Rs 57,907 crore from 27 mining lessees for extracting minerals in excess of the approved plan has upset the state mining sector. Many in the mining industry and experts have expressed their surprise over the state government’s action.

“The decision is illegal,” said Ashok Parija, former president of Bar Council of India. Parija said the extraction of minerals in excess of mining plan is not illegal, terming the notice served under Section 21(5) of the MMDR Act 1957 and fines imposed as not correct.

Ministry in process of amending rules. Guilty party to lose licence, debarred from obtaining any further licence

PANJIM: As a major fallout of Shah Commission’s interim report, Union Mines ministry is working on amending the Mineral Concession Rules which will make mine owner lose his licence and would be debarred from obtaining any further licence, if he is found guilty of involving in illegal mining activity. Justice M B Shah Commission, during its first interim report had suggested this stringent measure to curb the illegal mining, which was accepted by the union mines ministry.

PANJIM: Mines and Geology department will be holding a special inspection of State’s oldest mining company, Damodar Mangalji and Company Limited (DMC) on Monday before suspending its lease, as directed by Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM).

IBM, in an order issued on April 18, has directed the company to suspend the mining operations of its Band Doncol iron ore mine in Pissurlem, for violations of provisions of Mineral Conservation and Development Rules (MCDR), 1988.

PANJIM: One of the State’s oldest mining company, Damodar Mangalji and Company Limited (DMC) has been issued a show cause notice by Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) for extracting ore beyond its permissible capacity.

The notice dispatched on February 8 has stated that the DMC owned Band Doncol iron ore mine in Pissurlem has violated provisions of Mineral Conservation and Development rule, 1988.

PANJIM: Targeting the Goa government over failure to implement rule 45 of the Mineral Conservation and Development (MCDR) Rules, 1988, the Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) has said that in the absence

BHUBANESWAR: The Director of Mines has now been designated by the State Government as the registering authority of trucks or any other vehicle used for transportation of minerals by road.

The Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) has taken action against 25 mines from Goa in terms of the provisions of the Mineral Conservation and Development Rules, 1988 for exceeding the production limits.