Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has said his government will not sell even an inch of public land to promote industrial development in the State.

Addressing a gathering at the Kerala Environment Convention organised by the Paristhithi Aikya Vedi here on Monday, he said there was no question of surrendering the State’s interests to attract investors. He said the proposals to be discussed at the Emerging Kerala summit would be considered for implementation only if these were found to be good for the State and after securing the necessary clearances.

Govt has already issued notices to 58 blocks: 33 allotted to govt firms & 25 to pvt entities

Amid the raging row over coal block allocation, as many as 90 mines face the threat of de-allocation as these are under scanner for non-production. Of these, 58 coal blocks are in the immediate focus with an Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG) set to decide their fate today. The government has already issued de-allocation notices to these 58 blocks - 33 allotted to government firms and 25 to private entities.

Project to be completed at cost of Rs 5353.82 cr in 60 months

JAMMU: In a positive development towards start of work on 850 Mega Watt (MW) Ratle Hydro Power Project on river Chenab in Kishtwar district, Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) has recommended environment clearance for the project and the formal orders in this regard would be issued by the Union Environment and Forest Ministry shortly. Official sources told EXCELSIOR that a high-level team of M/s Ratle Hydroelectric Power Project Pvt Ltd of GVK Group made a detailed presentation regarding all the issues connected with the execution of the project which includes location of dam site,

Environmental objections were overruled by Empowered Group of Ministers, in the face of expert concerns

Amid controversy over coal block allocation, the Government may take a final call next month on the fate of 58 mines, which companies have failed to develop, as Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal has

Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd’s planned $4 billion refinery at Ratnagiri in Maharashtra would depend on lifting of environmental moratorium on projects in that region, Parliament was informed today.

Imphal: A citizens’ group on Thursday opposed the formation of an India-Bangladesh joint sub-group on Manipur’s Tipaimukh power project.

The mega-power project, one of the largest in Northeastern India, is vital for meeting the increasing electricity demand in the region, but has been opposed by environmental groups and opposition parties in Bangladesh. “Any decision on Tipaimukh dam construction cannot be bilaterally decided only by India and Bangladesh as the land, rivers, forests and all resources in Manipur belong to the indigenous people of our state.

New Delhi The axe is likely to fall on about two dozen captive coal block allottees that feature in both the CAG list of companies making windfall gains and the list of entities that were issued show-cause notices by the coal ministry last year for sluggish progress on their respective projects.

Prominent companies, including Tatas, Essar, ArcelorMittal, GVK Power, Hindalco, Grasim Industries, JSW and Bhushan Steel, feature in the list where the coal ministry feels that allocations should be cancelled unless valid ground for delay is established. The ministry has already issued show cause notices to around 58 captive coal block allottees and about 20-24 of them also feature in the CAG list that is being targeted by the ministry for first round of cancellations.

New Delhi Under SPV model, government will get all statutory clearances for greenfield projects

Stung by allegations that natural resources have been allotted in non-transparent ways, the government is set to start auction process in the steel sector, whereby certain large projects would be offered on the basis of the highest upfront payment and royalty bid. The ministry of steel is planning to introduce the special purpose vehicle (SPV) model for awarding projects.