New Delhi : With a new minister in charge of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), the government has swung into action to fast-track green clearances for key infrastructure projects.

Tribals of several villages of Lamataput block in Koraput district have opposed china clay mining at Kadu hill under Machkund tehsil.

The villagers under the banner Chitua Mati Dongor Surakhya Samiti have threatened to launch an agitation if the mining is not shelved.
"People living in 10 villages will lose their livelihood if mining takes place at Kadu hill. The hill has a number of water sources and villagers depend on it to eke out a living.

Large-scale violation of environment and forest laws have taken place in Odisa since 1994-95

Top companies — such as SAIL, Tata Steel, the Aditya Birla group’s Essel Mining and Odisha Mining Corp — are among the 70 that have violated environment and forest laws, the M B Shah Commission on illegal mining in Odisha has held.

New Delhi : The Supreme Court on Monday asked the ministry of environment and forests to set up a national environment regulator with offices in every state to “appraise and monitor” the process for granting green clearances and how the regulations are complied with.

Industry expects the move to make the process, now fraught with uncertainties and huge delays, more transparent and efficient. At present, more than 4,600 proposals are pending with the forest advisory committee (FAC) for final clearance.

Strict action will be taken against power plants and sponge units if they fail to adhere to pollution norms and take adequate precautionary measures, said Forest and Environment Principal Secretary

New Delhi : Operations of top steel and mining companies, including Tata Steel, SAIL, Aditya Birla Group's Essel Mining, JSPL and Sarda Mines, are likely to get affected if a recommendation by the Justice M B Shah Commission to ban mining along the Baitarni river in Odisha is accepted.

The high-powered panel, in its five-volume report on illegal mining in Odisha, has recommended revisiting the environment approvals granted to all 55 mines around the Baitarni river and its tributaries.

A day after Cyclone Phailin lashed the Odisha coast, full-throated praise for the Naveen Patnaik government on minimising loss of human life through mass evacuation morphed into angry protests by t