The state government is likely to file a special leave petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court on October 29 Challenging  the judgement  of  the Orissa High Court to set aside recommendation of prospecting license (PL) in favour of Posco  . As per section 11 (5) of Mining and Minerals Development and Regulation (MMDR) Act, the state government  will  urge the Apex court to lease out Khandadhar mines on the basis of...

Vedanta, Posco and Sindhudurg. The issue is the same — the need for a well-thought-out policy relating to extractive and resource-based industry. The government’s withdrawal of mining permission to Vedanta on the Niyamgiri hills in Orissa’s backward Kalahandi district; the divided verdict by the Gupta Committee on the Posco iron ore project; and the environment ministry’s concern on 49 mining licences issued by the Maharashtra government for bauxite and iron...

Himachal Pradesh has expressed reservation over the provision of ‘minimum five hectares of land for granting mining lease’ under the proposed Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Bill that has already got the nod of Group of Ministers. The existing Act, which will be replaced, did not have any such regulation. The government has already represented to the Centre that such large tracts of land for mining activities in Himachal, where...

Finance minsiter Pranab Mukherjee has favoured a balanced approach on the issue of displacement of tribals due to mining projects, saying that solution does not lie in stopping these projects altogether. “Answer does not lie in the companies stopping mining activities. Answer lies in providing alternatives to those displaced... in what form we can compensate them and make them beneficiary of economic development,” Mr Mukherjee said at a coal summit on...

Amid a furore over 26 per cent profit-sharing with locals under the proposed new mining law and demands for watering down the provision for PSUs, the Mines Ministry today said its final draft will go with the recommendations of the Group of Ministers. "Based on the discussion of the Group of Ministers (GoM), the final draft of the new mining bill is being prepared by the Mines Ministry and will be...