-The Hindu Mining companies have received favourable impact assessments even as they do great damage to the environment because regulators are willing to look the other way Last week, world leaders concerned about economic development got together at the International Monetary Fund, and gave a series of most instructive interviews. Our Finance Minister, P. Chidambaram, said that his problem was the slowing down of India's economic growth and reduction in government revenues....

-The Telegraph Shillong: Perhaps for the first time, the South Garo Hills district administration has ordered all coal mining activities in the district to be stopped following deaths in mining areas caused by negligence. South Garo Hills deputy commissioner Chinmay Gotmare issued the order on Monday under Section 133 CrPC, which pertains to removal of nuisance. While issuing the order, Gotmare observed that it has been made to appear to him that coal...

-The Indian Express The audacity of the Latehar ambush, which ended with Maoists implanting explosive devices inside the corpses of CRPF men, comes amid security forces’ claims that the rebels are a declining force. What was probably the cruellest ever assault on security forces came at a time police in several states were praising themselves for having contained Maoists. Over the last 14 months, Maoist violence had declined partly because they had...

-The Hindu Union Railway Minister C.P. Joshi has announced the decision to constitute a Rail Tariff Authority, based on which the next hike in passenger fares and freight rates will be effected. The Tariff Authority is an attempt at insulating the Railways from various hikes being effected by the government, including on fuel price, which officials regard as having made the operation of the Railways in the current situation unviable. Addressing the Economic...

-The Hindu The perils of the system of rat-hole mining that thousands in Meghalaya routinely engage in were in stark focus over the past week. After a fruitless search that yielded no survivors or bodies in a flooded coal pit in the South Garo Hills, a rescue team of the National Disaster and Rescue Force has called off its operations. This means the 15 miners who were believed trapped underground are...