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ISSN 0972-4648 MINENVIS

A Newsletter of tho

Environmental Proble

NumDecem

Centre of MininIndian Scho

Dhanbad

Website: www.g

e ENVIS Centrenms of Mining Areas

ber 47ber 2005

g Environmentol of Mines – 826 004

eocities.com/envis_ism

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Published byProfessor Gurdeep SinghHead and Co-ordinatorENVIS Nodal CentreCentre of Mining EnvironmentIndian School of MinesDhanbad – 826 004Jharkhand, INDIA

All Rights Reserved© December 2005 MINENVIS

No part of the material protected by this copyright notice may be reproduced or utilised in any form or by any means,electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system,without written permission from the copyright owner.

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CONTENTS

Sl.No.

Page No.

1. Biofertilizer: An Eco-Friendly Fertilizer for theReclamation of Overburden Dumps

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2. Iron in the Soul 16

3. Mine or Yours? 17

4. The Hidden Subsidy 20

5. Government Circular 22

6. Some Important Statistics related to Coal Mining 32

7. Current News 35

8. Important Parliament Questions 63

9. Environmental Clearance 67

10. Some Selected References 70

11. National/ International Events 72

12. Some Useful Links related to ResearchInstitutions/Laboratories

73

13. ENVIS Query Form 74

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BIOFERTILIZER: AN ECO-FRIENDLY FERTILIZER FOR THERECLAMATION OF OVERBURDEN DUMPS

ining is one of the necessary evils of the modern world. It provides the materials requiredto sustain quality of life, but does immense, sometimes irreparable, damage to the

environment. Opencast mining, where ores are recovered from exposed areas, is particularlydisruptive to both the landscape and the ecosystem. Waste materials, or soil spoils, that remainafter the extraction of usable ores, are dumped on the surrounding land. These sites leave theland devoid of topsoil, nutrients and supportive microflora and vegetation – in a word, barren.As mining activities spread, so does the damage, causing more and more disruption to theregion's land, aquatic and atmospheric ecosystems. Over the short term, opencast mining canreduce forest yields; over the long term, it can lead to dramatic changes in microclimates.Minerals generally extracted by opencast mining include coal, manganese, iron, copper andzinc. The mining spoils – literally dumps – that result from such activities create stark hostileenvironments. Mine dust, for instance, pollutes the air. Meanwhile, more tangible toxic by-products are channelled into streams and rivers as a result of runoff, or seep into thegroundwater. In both cases, the unwanted by-products of mining activities carry a high risk ofcontaminating the region's water supplies (undp.org). For reclamation of such problematic minespoils, biofertilizers like Rhizobium, Azotobacter, Azospirillium, phosphate solubilizers andmycorrhiza can be used because when added to the spoil they provide special advantages.Fixing atmospheric nitrogen and mobilizing essential micronutrients make these easilyaccessible to plants. This approach leads to achieve the fertility of barren dumps in a very shorttime, thus improving the water holding capacity of soil and creating topsoil to sustain highquality vegetation forever. Due to high metabolic and reproductive rates, they immobilizenutrients that would otherwise be lost through leaching. Soil microbes also exhibit greatmetabolic versatility, which allows them to adapt to the low nutrient levels and adversechemical and physical characteristics of mine wastes. Therefore, reclamation with biofertilizersseems to be an attractive and cost-effective alternative for revegetating the barren mine spoils.

1. Concept of BiofertilizerBiofertilizers are the source of microbial inoculants, which have brought hopes for many

countries both economically and environmentally. therefore, in developing countries like India,biofertilizers can solve problems of high cost of fertilizers and thus can save the economy ofthe country (Gupta et al., 2003). Bio-fertilizers, in strict sense, are not fertilizers which directlygive nutrition to crop plants. These are cultures of microorganisms like bacteria, fungi, packedin a carrier material. Thus, the critical input in Biofertilizers is the microorganisms. They helpthe plants indirectly through better Nitrogen (N) fixation or improving the nutrient availabilityin the soil (nabard.org).

Biofertilizers can be defined as "microbial inoculants which contain live or latent cells ofselected strains of nitrogen fixing, phosphate solubilizing microorganisms used for applicationto seed, soil or composting areas to accelerate certain microbial processes; thus augmentingthe availability of nutrients in an easily assimilable forms to plants."

The commercial history of biofertilizers began with the launch of ‘Nitragin’ by Nobbeand Hiltner, a laboratory culture of Rhizobia in 1895, followed by the discovery of Azotobacterand then the blue green algae and a host of other micro-organisms. Azospirillium and Vesicular-Arbuscular Mycorrhizae (VAM) are fairly recent discoveries. In India the first study on legume

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Rhizobium symbiosis was conducted by N.V.Joshi and the first commercial production startedas early as 1956. However, the Ministry of Agriculture initiated the real effort to popularize andpromote the input with the setting up of the National Project on Development and Use ofBiofertilizers (NPDB)(ieg.nic.in).

1.1 Disadvantages of Chemical Fertilizers and advantages of Biofertilizers

During the last 30 years or so, there was a quantitative shift in favour of using chemicalfertilizers by the farming community. Repeated and extensive use of these chemical fertilizershas deteriorated soil quality, resulting in progressively diminishing crop yield. Vast tracts ofagricultural land have turned barren and unproductive (suvash.com).The use of chemicalfertilizers and pesticides has caused tremendous harm to the environment. Three vital naturalresources namely, soil, water and air are liable to be affected by excessive use of chemicalfertilizer. The disadvantages of using chemical fertilizer are as follows:

Water PollutionThe main problem associated with excessive use of fertilizers is the eutrophication of

surface water. Arable soils leak considerable amount of nutrients which enrich the water bodyresulting in more growth of algae and other organisms and thus impair the quality of water andlimits its use. Application of nitrogen fertilizers also results in increasing the concentration ofnitrate in ground water. Two main alleged health hazards are blue baby diseases of youngbabies and cancer due to nitrate ingestion in food and water.

Atmospheric PollutionIt is argued that nitrogenous fertilizers contribute substantially towards emissions of

nitrogen oxides such as nitric oxide, nitrous oxide and nitrogen dioxide which may cause manydisorders to animals and human beings. It also emits ammonia, one of the agents causing acidrain.

Damage to crops and soilsEvidences showed that excessive use of fertilizers particularly nitrogen, cause lodging of

crops, low sugar content in sugar crops, acidifying action and increased incidence of weed andpest attacks. At the same time heavy use of N fertilizers is also inimical to Rhizobium, themicrobe responsible for symbiotic nitrogen fixation. It has also been said that the population ofearthworms is limited in nitrogen applied fields.

Heavy metal contaminationThere is an increasing concern about occurrence of trace elements in the environment in

concentrations which can be harmful for animal health. Many fertilizers contain varyingamounts of trace elements such as F, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Hg, Mo, Ni, Pb etc. Incidental addition ofthese elements may lead to their accumulation in soils and ground water aquifers.

The judicious use of nature's own biofertilizers by their biotechnological applicationsappears to be a suitable answer to this problem. Biofertilizers can be used to overcome theproblems of chemical fertilizers. There are several advantages in using biofertilizer, which areas follows:

i. they have high nitrogen-fixing capabilitiesii. they can solubilize phosphatesiii. they can also supply Vitamin Bl2, Auxin and Ascorbic acid

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iv. they involve less energy, low cost and less effort in their production whereas chemicalfertilizers are expensive and involve higher energy in their production e.g., the Haberprocess of ammonia synthesis requires temperature upto 800°F, a catalyst and highpressures, yet the same synthesis by nitrogen and hydrogen is accompanied by a nitrogenfixing microbes of the soil at ordinary pressure and temperature by the mediation ofenzyme

v. microbial processes are quickvi. no pollution hazards by using biofertilizers whereas application of chemical fertilizers

cause pollutionvii. they save non-renewable form of energyviii. they can be stored for long durationix. they need little space for storagex. they have less chance of getting damaged

1.2 Types of Biofertilizers

There are various types of biofertilizers which are as follows,

(a) Nitrogen-fixing biofertilizers- Rhizobium- Azotobacter- Azospirillium- Blue-green algae- Azolla

(b) Phosphorus mobilising biofertilizers

i) Phosphate solubilizer- Bacillus- Pseudomonas- Aspergillus niger

ii) Phosphate absorber

- VAM fungi - e.g., Glomus, Gigaspora

(c) Organic matter decomposer biofertilizers

i) Cellulolytic - Cellulomonus - Trichoderma

ii) Lignolytic - Arthrobacter - AgaricusDetails of some important biofertilizers are discussed below:

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Rhizobium spp.

These are gram negative soil bacteria. They form a symbiotic association withleguminous plants to form nodules in the roots of host plant. These nodules are the sites ofnitrogen fixation. Active nodules contain a red pigment called leghaemoglobin. Thisleghaemoglobin pigment regulates the oxygen diffusion within the nodule. Intensities ofnitrogen fixation is directly proportional to the amount of haemoglobin present in nodules.They fix atmospheric nitrogen and thus not only increase the production of the inoculatedcrops, but also leave a fair amount of nitrogen in the soil, which benefits the subsequent crops.Rhizobium spp. are the best biofertilizers for legumes. Inoculum of Rhizobium can add 50-230Kg N/ha. Although Rhizobium is abundant in soil, all of them are not able to nodulate all typesof legumes. Because of their specificity, for each legume, effective inoculum is to be developedfor each crop.

Azotobacter and Azospirillum (Asymbiotic nitrogen - fixers)

They are bacteria which reduce nitrogen to ammonia in soil which is acceptable byplants. They are also helpful in synthesizing phytohormones and vitamins by plants. In thepresence of these bacteria, plants become less susceptible to some fungal diseases. They arewidely used for cereals like maize, millet and sorghum, Azotobacter can fix upto 30 kg ofnitrogen from 1000 kg of organic matter and hence save 10-30 kg/ha of N2, Similarly,Azospirillium led to saving of 15-25 kg equivalent of N2 per hectare.

Blue-Green Algae (BGA)

Dominant nitrogen-fIxer blue-green algae are Anabaena, Nostoc, Aulosira, Calothrix,Plectonema etc. Blue-green algae have the abilities of photosynthesis as well as biologicalnitrogen fixation. Like in many other biological systems, nitrogen fixation in Cyanobacteria isbrought about by an enzyme known as nitrogenase (Mishra & Pabbi, 2004). Besides being asource of nitrogen, BGA provide for the following other advantages - - algal biomass accumulates as organic matter. - growth promoting substances are produced e.g., Vit BI2, auxin, ascorbic acid etc., which stimulate growth of rice seedling - it provides partial tolerance to pesticides and fungicides - it also helps in reclamation of saline and alkaline soils -they are widely used for rice and banana cultivation.

Azolla

Azolla is an aquatic fern occurring in ditches and stagnant water. It harbours an algalendosymbiont Anabaena azollae which fixes atmospheric nitrogen. The Azolla – Anabaenasymbiosis has attracted attention as a biofertilizer worldwide, especially in South East Asia. Itis widely used in rice cultivated areas and fish culture ponds. It can fix upto 900 kg N/ha/year.

Vesicular-Arbuscular Mycorrhiza (VAM) fungi

The roots of most plant species form symbiotic association with specialized fungi (e.g.,Glomus, Gigaspora etc.) called mycorrhiza. Vesicular–Arbuscular Mycorrhiza (VAM) is themost abundant kind of mycorrhizal described as ‘ a universal plant symbiosis’. Studies onVAM fungi conducted during last few decades envisaged their occurrence in a wide variety ofhosts, different habitats and variability in quality and quantity.

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There are several advantages of VAM fungi which are as follows:- more uptake of other nutrients such as Cu, Zn and NH4

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- allow plant to grow in harsh conditions such as heavily polluted, acidic and eroded sites

- increase resistance to diseases

- increase nitrogen fixation by legumes

- check soil erosion by binding soil particles

- enhance uptake of water

Bacillus, Pseudomonas etc.

They act as phosphate solubilizer. They reduce the pH of soil by producing varioustypes of organic acids in soil. In such conditions, insoluble fixed phosphate changes intosoluble free phosphate which is readily available for plants.

1.3 Critical factors responsible for the effectiveness of biofertilizers

The critical factors which are responsible for the effectiveness of a particular bio-fertilizer are as follows:

• Suitability of the species to the target crop• Suitability of the strain: There are specific strains of Rhizobium for different

leguminous species like Cowpea, Red gram, Soybean, Alfalfa etc. Biofertilizer ofspecific culture should be used for specific crop.

• Identification of strains as suited to the agro-eco system, particularly the soil pH andmoisture conditions. Through research, specific strains as suited to a particular soil andenvironmental conditions are usually identified and pure mother cultures aremaintained in research labs for supply to the commercial manufacturers.

• The aseptic conditions of manufacturing, the cell count of living organism present inthe carrier material, purity and level of contamination.

• The conditions of carrier material in which the culture is packed and the quality of thepacking material, which determine the shelf life.

• The conditions in which the packed materials are stored, distributed and kept with thefarmers before it is applied.

• Soil conditions particularly pH, organic matter content, moisture level and agronomicpractices. (nabard.org)

1.4 Inoculant Standard of Biofertilizers

The standard of biofertilizers have been published by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)as per the following details:

• Rhizobium (IS:8268 :2000)• Azotobacter (IS:9138:2000)• Azospirillum (IS:14806 :2000)• Phosphate Solubilising Bacteria (PSB) (IS:14807: 2000)

(Source: National Biofertiliser Development Centre, Govt. of India, Ministry of Agriculture-http://dacnet.nic.in/ncof/productionunit.htm).

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1.5 Method and Area of Application of Biofertilizers

Different methods are available for applications of various biofertilizers which areoutlined below.

• As seed inoculant - e.g., Rhizobium. Seed treatment is a most common method adoptedfor all types of inoculant. The seed treatment is effective and economic.

• As soil inoculant - e.g., carrier based blue-green algae, Azotobacter.• As seed & soil inoculant - VAM fungi.

Carrier materials for BGA inoculum are straw, rice bran, polyurethane foam andsugarcane waste.

Biofertilizers can be applied for variety of crops such as:

Biofertilizer Beneficiary Crops

Rhizobium Crop specific biofertilizers for legume like Groundnut, Soybean, Red-gram, Green-gram, Black-gram, Lentil, Cowpea, Bengal-gram andFodder legumes

Azotobacter Cotton, Vegetables, Mulberry, Plantation Crop, Rice, Wheat, Barley,Ragi, Jowar, Mustard, Safflower, Niger, Sunflower, Tobacco, Fruit ,Spices, Condiment, Ornamental Flower

Azospirillum Sugarcane, Vegetables, Maize, Pearl millet, Rice, Wheat, Fodders, Oilseeds, Fruit and Flower

Blue Green Algae Rice, banana

Azolla Rice

Phosphate SolubilizingMicroorganisms(PSM)

All Crops (non specific)

VAM fungi for variety of plant

Source: National Biofertiliser Development Centre, Govt. of India, Ministry ofAgriculture(http://dacnet.nic.in/ncof/productionunit.htm)

(List of Commonly Produced Bio-Fertilizers in India is shown in Annexure-1)

2. Application of Biofertilizers for the Reclamation of Overburden DumpsOpencast mining destroy the original land ecosystem and microbial community due to

mining activity and stockpiling of mine rejects on adjoining land. The landscapes that emergeare devoid of supportive and nutritive capacity for biomass development. Several microbialprocesses such as nitrogen and carbon cycling, humification and soil aggregation are practicallynon-functional posing scientific challenges in the restoration of rhizosphere productivity andfertility. The degraded land does not possess suitable surface soil to provide bedding layer foranchorage of plant and to support the biomass. Also the plant growth is not supported due topresence of toxic materials. Gradual increase in such landscapes due to intensive miningactivity endangers not only the agroforestry productivity but also the aquatic eco-systems. Therejuvenation of mine spoil dump and mined land productivity and fertility through amendmentof organic material, biofertilizers and endomycorrhizal fungi will enable restoration of the

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degraded land ecosystem and helps to create luxuriant forests in the country providingsubstantial carbon dioxide sink vital for biosphere integrity, built up of nutritive top soil andenhanced ground water recharge (Juwarkar, 2004).

The reasons that mine spoil waste present difficulties for plant growth is due to itsphysical, chemical and biological constraints:♦ Physical constraints - account of unfavourable porosity, aeration, water infiltration and

percolation properties alongwith high bulk density and absence of structural aggregates inthe dumps.

♦ Chemical constraints - involve low concentration of essential plant nutrients, poor nitrogen,phosphorus and potassium status, unfavourable pH range, deficiency of calcium,magnesium etc. and very poor organic matter.

♦ Biological constraints- refer to the absence of beneficial microorganisms which play animportant role in restoring physico - chemical and biological properties of soil. Themicroorganisms contribute to the development of soil structure, synthesis of plant nutrientsthrough the nitrogen fixation and amelioration of adverse chemical and physicallimitations.

Biofertilizers can be used to reclaim the overburden dumps because• Fixing atmospheric nitrogen and mobilizing essential micronutrients make these easily

accessible to the plants.• This approach leads to achieve the fertility of barren dumps in a very short time, thus

improving the water holding capacity of the spoil and creating top soil to sustain highquality vegetation forever.

• In spite of physico-chemical properties of mine spoil which are important in determiningthe initial plant establishment and growth, the biological factor play a vital role insuccessful maintenance of soil fertility and the evaluation of a stable soil plant.

• Decomposition and nutrient cycling are the main processes for the stability of anecosystem. Due to high metabolic and reproductive rates the soil microorganism also havethe capability to immobilize nutrients that would otherwise be lost through leaching.

• Soil microbes also exhibit great metabolic versatility which allows them to adapt to the lownutrient levels and adverse chemical characteristics of mine wastes.

• Phytoreclamation can be made more successful by identification of constraints andresolving them by careful selection of plant species, appropriate amendment and selectivemicroorganisms and biofertilizers.

• Therefore, phytoreclamation seems to be an attractive and cost effective for revegetatingthe barren mine spoils.

An Integrated Biotechnological Approach (IBA) for bioremediation of mine spoil dumpsand degraded ecosystems has been developed by scientists at National EnvironmentalEngineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur & University of Delhi and has beensuccessfully demonstrated at a number of sites. The process leads to the development ofsupportive and nutritive rhizosphere in mine spoil dumps through appropriate blending of spoiland organic waste(s) for association of plants with specialised culture(s) of microorganismsinvolved in nitrogen- fixation, phosphate solubilisation and growth promotion. IBA helps inrestoration of microbial activity within a short span of around 18 months and restoration of

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natural bio-geochemical cycles within three–four years, a process that would normally take100-300 years. Moreover, microbial processes such as humification and soil aggregation arealso enhanced. Desertified sites and degraded ecosystems have been converted into lush greengrasslands and three-storeyed forests by appropriate selection of plant species naturally foundin the area combined with appropriate use of nitrogen fixers, phosphate solubilisers and othergrowth promoters (dbtindia.nic.in). Various companies have already applied the techniquessuccessfully for reclaiming their overburden dumps viz., Manganese Ore(India) Limited,Western Coalfields Limited, South Eastern Coalfields Limited, Kudremukh Iron Ore CompanyLimited, Neyveli Lignite Corporation Ltd. (NLC) etc.

The application of Integrated Biotechnological Approach(IBA) for Phytoremediation ofiron mine spoil dump at Codli iron mine under Sesa Goa Limited, Goa has led to thedevelopment of supportive and nutritive rhizosphere and turned the barren iron mine spoildump into lush green vegetation within three years of plantation. Different plant species ofhigh ecological and economical importance showed good response towards IBA. Increase inthe height of the different plant species on dumpsite was due to the amendment of spoil withsoil, FYM and biofertilizers inoculum (Juwarkar et al., 2003).

Restoration of fertility and productivity of manganese mine spoil dumps fromDongribuzrukh, Gumgaon and Chikala mines was carried out using pressmud, biofertilizers andendomycorrhizal fungi. The combined treatment of Shishum plants with Rhizobium andendomycorrhizal fungi resulted in 53-64 times more nodulation and 5.2-6.3 times higher rootbiomass compared to uninoculated one. Profuse root development was also observed withrespect to teak, shiwan and neem due to Azotobacter and mycorrhizae treatment (Juwarkar etal., 1994). IBA has transformed a portion of an opencast manganese ore dump in Gumgaon intoproductive mulberry plantation.

It is observed by NLC that the application of humic acid, biofertilizers and VAMincreases the yield in the crops as well as increases the growth of trees.

One of serious problems in gold mining activity is the over capacity of tailing dam tostore the tailing soil. In addition, restoration of tailing soil is the most difficult aspect onreclamation of mining area. Chemical characteristic such as acidity, alkalinity, salinity, andhigh concentration of heavy metals are common problem in gold mining. Ectomycorrhizalfungi plays important role to improve the productivity of tailing soils as a waste of gold miningactivity. Organic fertilizer amendment is still needed to stimulate the biogeochemistry process(Supriyanto et al., 2005).

Among the 43 identified plant species in Indonesia grown on tailings, the root systems of39 species (90%) are colonized by Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi(AMF).These data show thatmycorrhizal associations are needed for plants to successfully adapt to growing conditions ongold and copper tailing deposits. The mycelial network may be important as a chelating agentand in nutrient absorption, and this can facilitate plant establishment on tailing sites (Setiadi etal., 2000).

The study in Jharia Coalfield revealed that all five species of VAM fungi were present inrevegetated overburden dumps. Those species are: Glomus, Gigaspora, Acaulospora,Enterophospora and Sclerocystis. Glomus is the most predominant genus found in the miningarea. The occurrence of VAM spores in coal mine OB dumps are found to be double than non-mining areas due to higher disturbance (Maiti et al., 2003).

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In India, the reclamation of a fly ash dump (3900 square m) was demonstrated for thefirst time by introducing mycorrhizal technology at the Badarpur Thermal PowerStation(teriin.org).TERI has successfully used mycorrhizal technology to reclaim fly ashdumps and turn them into green oasis. Lush green expanses surrounding the thermal powerplants- which produces a huge quantity of hazardous fly ash - at Badarpur in New Delhi, Korbain Chattisagarh and Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh stand out as a vibrant testimony to theutility of this technology. The mycorrhizal fungi, accumulate heavy metals from fly ash throughtheir mycelial network and retain them in their physical structure(deccanherald.com). A varietyof commercially viable plants, including tree species [Poplar (Populus deltoides), Sheesham(Dalbergia sissoo), Eucalyptus, and Meethi neem (Melia azadirach)] and floriculture andaromatic species (marigold, carnation, sunflower, lemongrass, tuberose, gladioli, and lily), wereable to grow and establish themselves on fly ash overburdens following the application of thistechnology (teriin.org).

Another breakthrough for the TERI was the successful reclamation of wastelandscontaminated with chlor alkali sludge. The team was able to successfully carpet the toxicchemical bed with lush green plantations of bio diesel yielding Jatropha curcus as well asAcacia and Casurina plantations which were fortified with mycorrhizal biofertilizcr that in turnenhanced the nutritional uptake from soil to help plantations to get the much neededphosphorous and nitrogen (Deccan Herald, 2005).

Thus, the improvement in the physico-chemical and microbial status of soil throughorganic blending, inoculation with biofertilizers, screening of suitable plant species andestablishment of bio-geochemical cycle in the dumps are, therefore, essential to achieve theobjective of restoration of land fertility and productivity and reclamation of spoil dumps.Results indicated that the mine spoil treated with soil, FYM, as ameliorative material, inoculumwith biofertilizers improved the physical, nutrient and microbiological status of mine spoil andits application on large-scale developed a lush green vegetation.

3. Precautions & Recommendations♦ Store biofertilizer packets in cool and dry place away from direct sunlight and heat.♦ Use right combination of biofertilizers♦ Rhizobium is crop specific, so use in specified crop♦ Do not mix with chemicals♦ After application, land must be irrigated adequately and immediately to save live

bacterial cells from desiccation.♦ While purchasing ensure that each packet is provided with necessary information like

name of the product, name of the crop for which intended, name and address of themanufacturer, date of manufacture, date of expiry, batch No and instructions for use(List of Biofertilizer Production Units in India is shown in Annexure-2).

♦ Use the packet before expiry, only on the specified crop, by the recommended method.♦ Biofertilizers are live product and require care in storage♦ For best results use both nitrogenous and phosphatic biofertilizers♦ Use of biofertilizers is being emphasized along with chemical fertilizers and organic

manures.

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♦ Biofertilizers are not replacement of fertilizers but can supplement their requirement.(dacnet.nic.in)

4. Limitations and ConstraintsThe major limiting factors include:

• Narrow genetic base of mother cultures and lack of efficient and virulent strainssuitable to various agro-environments.

• Unsatisfactory carrier material with uniform and consistent good quality comparable toimported peat material.

• Contamination in broth mixing and packing stages, not using completely closed systemof production.

• Unsatisfactory packing material which reduces shelf life.• Unsatisfactory storing conditions, particularly during the distribution period. Exposure

to high temperatures and sunlight destroy the microbial culture. They should bepreferably kept in cold storage conditions.

• Not employing properly trained microbiologist.• Lack of quality controls and certification procedures.

(nabard.org)

5. ConclusionsDespite having certain limitations, Biofertilizers are potential alternative to chemical

fertilizers for improvement of soil fertility for sustainable crop productivity and revegetatingthe mine spoils in cost effective and eco-friendly manner.

6. References1. Enviro News, Vol.9, April-June, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Govt of India, New

Delhi (2005).2. Farmers told to use biofertilizer, The Hindu, Sept. 07(2004).3. Gupta, P.K. Elements of Biotechnology. Rastogi & Co., Meerut (1996).4. Gupta, R.K., Kaushik, S., Sharma, P. and Jain, V.K. Biofertilizers: An eco-friendly

alternative to chemical fertilizers. Environmental Challenges of the 21st Century, APHPublishing Corporation, New Delhi, pp 275-287 (2003).

5. Juwarkar, A.S. Mowade , S. Thawale, P.R. and Juwarkar Asha. Manganese mine spoildump reclamation using pressmud and biofertilizers-a case study. Second NationalSeminar on Minerals and Ecology, ISM, Dhanbad (1994).

6. Juwarkar, A.S., Juwarkar, Asha., Sahni , D.K. and Prasad T.N. Environmentalmanagement in Manganese Ore (India) Limited (MOIL). Seventh National Symposium onEnvironment, ISM, Dhanbad (1998).

7. Juwarkar, Asha A., Singh, S.K., Dubey, K. and Ninje, M. Reclamation of iron mine spoildumps using integrated biotechnological approach. National Seminar on Status ofEnvironmental Management in Mining Industry, B.H.U., Varanasi (2003).

8. Juwarkar, Asha A., Jambulkar, H.P. and Singh, S.K. Appropriate strategies forreclamation and revegetation of coal mine spoil dumps. JIPHE published on the occasion

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of National seminar on Environmental Engineering with special Emphasis on MiningEnvironment, ISM, Dhanbad, 19-20 March (2004).

9. Kumar Vibhas, Das, R.K., Pal A.K. and Saxena, N.C. Biofertilizer- An eco- friendlyfertilizer. Environmental Pollution Control Journal, Nov-Dec.(1999).

10. Maiti, S.K. Importance of VAM fungi in coal mine overburden reclamation and factorseffecting their establishment on overburden dumps. Environment & Ecology 15(3):602-608 (1997)

11. Maiti, S.K and Shee, C. Status of VAMF-infections and spores in an afforested coalmineoverburden dumps-A case study from Jharia Coalfield, Jharkhand. National Seminar onStatus of Environmental Management in Mining Industry, B.H.U., Varanasi (2003).

12. Mishra, U. and Pabbi, S. Cyanobacteria: A potential biofertilizer for rice. Resonance,June (2004).

13. Pabby Anjuli, Prasanna R and Singh, P. K. Azolla-Anabaena symbiosis - from traditionalagriculture to biotechnology. Indian Journal of Biotechnology, Special Issue on PlantMolecular Biology and Biotechnology, 2(1), January (2003).

14. Reclaiming poisoned land, Deccan Herald, April 4(2005).15. Setiadi, Y; Alkatiri, Y. and Rumainum, J. Biodiversity and role of the Arbuscular

Mycorrhizal fungi for enhancing tailings revegetation at PT Freeport Indonesia The XXIIUFRO World Congress, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 7-12 August(2000).

16. Supriyanto and Ujang Susep Irawan. Role of Ectomycorrhizal Fungi and OrganicFertilizer to Improve the Productivity of Tailing Soil in Gold Mining Area. FNCA (Forumfor Nuclear Cooperation in Asia) Biofertilizer Newsletter, No.6, November(2005).

17. Survey of Indian Agriculture, The Hindu (1995).18. Survey of Indian Agriculture, The Hindu (1996).19. Yadav, A.K; Chaudhuri, S. R. and Motsara, M.R.(ed.).Recent Advances in Biofertilizer

Technology Society for Promotion and Utilisation of Resources and Technology, NewDelhi(2001).

20. Website: http://www.moilind.com/comp_link.htm21. Website: http://www.teriin.org/division/bbdiv/cmr/docs/abs23.htm22. Website: http://www.undp.org/tcdc/bestprac/scitech/cases/st5ind.htm23. Website: http://dbtindia.nic.in/r&d/bioenviron.html24. Website: http://parisara.kar.nic.in/PDF/Land.pdf25. Website: http://coal.nic.in/ann0304chap14.pdf.26. Website: http://dacnet.nic.in/rbdcbangalore/bfahelp.htm27. Website: http://www.nabard.org/roles/ms/ld/biofertilizer.htm28. Website: http://ieg.nic.in/dis_nila_69.pdf29. Website: http://www.teriin.org/case/flyash.htm30. Website: http://www.suvash.com31. Website: http://dacnet.nic.in/ncof/productionunit.htm32. Website: http://www.biofertilizer.com/biofertilizer.html33. Website: http://www.teriin.org/division/bmbdiv/cmr/docs/abs40.htm

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Annexure 1

List of Commonly Produced Biofertilizers in IndiaName Crops suited Benefits usually seen RemarksRhizobium Legumes like pulses,

groundnut, soybean10-35% yield increase, 50-200 kg N/ha.

Fodders give better results. Leavesresidual N in the soil.

Azotobacter Soil treatment for non- legumecrops including dry land crops

10-15% yield increase-adds 20-25 kg N/ha

Also controls certain diseases

Azospirillium Non-legumes like maize,barley, oats, sorghum, millet,Sugarcane, rice etc.

10-20% yield increase Fodders give higher/enriches fodderresponse. Produces growthpromoting substances. It can beapplied to legumes as co-inoculant

PhosphateSolubilizers

Soil application for all crops 5-30% yield increase Can be mixed with rock phosphate.

Blue-greenalgae andAzolla

Rice/wet lands 20 -30 kg N/ha, Azolla cangive biomass up to 40-50tonnes and fix 30-100 kgN/ha

Reduces soil alkalinity, can be usedfor fishes as feed. They have growthpromoting hormonal effects.

Mycorrhizae(VAM)

Many trees, some crops, andsome ornamental plants

30-50% yield increase ,enhances uptake of P. Zn,S and Water.

Usually inoculated to seedlings.

Source: http://www.nabard.org

Annexure 2

List of Biofertilizer Production Units in IndiaAndhra Pradesh

Sri Aurbindo Institute of Rural Development (SAIRD), NalgondaBacterial Culture Production Lab., HyderabadBiofertiliser Unit-Vijayawada, Madras Fertilizers Limited, ChennaiAcharya N.G. Ranga Agriculture University, Agriculture Research Station, AmaravathiGodavari Fertilisers and Chemicals Limited, Kakinada

AssamHindustan Fertilizer Corporation Ltd. (FP & ARD), ParbatpurNorth East Green Tech Pvt. Ltd., GuwahatiMicrobiology Laboratory, Assam Agro Industries Development Corporation Limited, GuwahatiAssam Agricultural University, Jorhat

BiharHindustan Fertilizer Corporation Limited, BegusaraiM/s Pyrites, Phosphates & Chemicals Limited, Rohtas

GujaratNational Agricultural Research Project Biofertilizer ProjectGujarat Agriculture University, AnandGujarat State Fertilizers and Chemicals Limited, VadodaraGujarat State Co-operative Marketing Federation Ltd., Ahmedabad

13

HaryanaRegional Biofertiliser Development Centre, HissarGanpati Bio Organic Limited, Safidon

Himachal PradeshCentral Laboratory, Shimla

JharkhandHindustan Fertiliser Corporation Ltd., Sindri

KarnatakaWest Coast Herbochem Ltd., BangaloreRegional Biofertiliser Development Centre, BangaloreBiofertilizer Unit- Bangalore, Madras Fertilizer Limited, ChennaiKarnataka Biofertilisers, BijapurKadur Agro, BangaloreSamrath Bio-Tech Ltd., HubliShakthi Bio-Tech (P) Ltd., VijaywadaKarnataka Agro Industries Corporation Limited, BangaloreUniversity of Agricultural Sciences, BangaloreKarnataka Compost Development Corporation Limited, BangaloreRhizobium Culture Production Laboratory, BangaloreUniversity of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad

KeralaBiofertilizer Production Unit, Ramanathapuram, RamanathapuramThe Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore Ltd., KochiSoil Testing Laboratory, Pattambi, PalakkadAgro Bio-Tech Research Centre Ltd., Kottayam

Madhya PradeshRegional Biofertiliser Development Centre, JabalpurSamridhi Bioculture Pvt. Ltd., IndoreBio-Tech Research Centre, M.P. State Co-operative Oil-seed Growers’ Federation Ltd., DharHindustan Fertilizer Corporation Ltd., BhopalTrupti Bio-Tech Laboratory, BalaghatThe M.P. State Agro Industries Development Corporation, Biofertiiser Plant, BhopalNarmada Bio-Tech Limited, BarwahaNafed Biofertilizer, IndoreNational Fertilizers Limited, Indore

MaharashtraRegional Biofertiliser Development Centre, NagpurSainath Agro Vet Industries Pvt. Ltd., Ahmed NagarBAIF Development Research Foundation, PuneSamruddhi Agrotech, PuneMaharashtra Research & Development Centre, Solapur

Kumar Krishi Mitra Bio Products (I) Pvt. Ltd., Pune

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Vasantdada Sugar Institute, PuneBiofertiliser Production Unit Sahakar Maharshi Shankarrao Mohite-Patil Sahakari SakharKarkhana Ltd., SolapurInstitute of Natural Organic Agriculture (INORA), PuneK-Ferts Lab, NandedNirmal Seeds Pvt. Ltd., JalgaonRashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers Limited, MumbaiNomain Agri-Bio Pvt Ltd., PuneNilayam Bio-Fertiliser Production Unit, WardhaKisan Agro Chem, NadedNav Maharshta Chakan Oil Mill Ltd., SangliEnvironmental Protection Research Foundation, SangliArun Biofertilizers, KolhapurMahatama Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, PuneMauli Biotech, PuneBio Agro Fertilisers, PuneM/s Niku Bio-Research Lab, Pune

ManipurRegional Biofertiliser Development Centre, Imphal

MizoramBiofertilizer Production Unit, Neihbawi, Department of Agriculture, Aizawl

New DelhiIndian Agriculture Research Institutre (IARI), New DelhiIndian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited, New Delhi

OrrisaRegional Biofertiliser Development Centre, BhubneshwarOrrisa Agro Industries Corporation Ltd., BhubneshwarDeputy Director of Agriculture (PP), BhubneshwarHindustan Fertiliser Corporations Limited, BhubneshwarState Bio Chemist, Bhubneshwar

PondicherryPondicherry Agro Service and Industries Corporation Limited (PASIC),Pondicherry

PunjabBiofertiliser Production Unit, Ludhiana

RajasthanNafed Biofertilizer, BharatpurRhizobia Scheme Agriculture Department, Jaipur

TamilnaduDepartment of Agricultural Microbiology, Agriculture College and Research Institute, TamilNadu Agricultural University, MaduraiBiofertilizer Production Unit, Department of Agriculture, Govt. of Tamil Nadu, CuddaloreBiofertilizer Production Unit, Department of Agriculture, Govt. of Tamil Nadu, Thantavur

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Biofertilizer Production Unit, Department of Agriculture, Govt. of Tamil Nadu, TrichyKRIBHCO, ChennaiRegional Research Station, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, PiyurMonarch Bio-Fertilisers and Research Centre, ChennaiLakshmi Bio-Tech, CuddaloreMarygreen Afrotech (P) Ltd., ChennaiTamil Nadu Agricultural University, CoimbatoreT Stanes & Company Limited, CoimbatoreEsvin Advanced Technologies Limited, ChennaiSouthern Petrochemical Industries Corporation Limited, ChennaiBiofertiliser Unit-Manali, Madras Fertilizers Limited, ChennaiBiofertilizer Production Unit, SalemBiofertilizer Production Unit, KudumiamalaiMain Biocontrol Research Laboratory, ChengalpattuThe SIMA Cotton Development and Research Association, Coimbatore

Uttar PradeshNational Biofertiliser Development Centre, GhaziabadMyodelphia Chemicals Company (Pvt.) Ltd., GhaziabadM/s Kanhaiya Agrotech (Pvt.) Ltd., MathuraMotilal Nehru Farmers Training Institute, AllahabadKrishak Bharati Cooperative Limited, Noida

West BengalAmit Biotech, KolkataProcess Development and Analytical Control Research Laboratory, KolkataNitrofix Laboratories, KolkataHindustan Fertilizer Cooperation Ltd., KolkataNodule Research Laboratory, NadiaGreen Tech Farms & Agro Pvt. Ltd, KolkataNimpit Ashram, South 24-ParganasExcel Bio-Tech Pvt. Ltd., KolkattaMicro Bac India, North 24-ParganasEastern Enterprises, KolkataWest Bengal Forest Development Corporation Ltd., Kolkata

Source: National Biofertiliser Development Centre, Govt. of India, Ministry of Agriculture(http://dacnet.nic.in/ncof/productionunit.htm)

This Article is contributed by: Shri Vibhas Kumar, ENVIS officer and Dr. Gurdeep Singh, Professor & Head,Centre of Mining Environment, Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad - 826 004

16

Iron in the Soul

his fortnight 12 tribals were killed in police firing in Orissa. Their crime: protesting againstthe acquisition of their land for an industrial park. The state says it had 'acquired' some

4,856 hectare of land some years ago and paid handsome 'compensation' to people who heldland rights. It is another matter that it sold the same land to Tata Steel (against whose bhoomipuja the tribals were protesting) for six times the price it paid to poor landowners. But for thestate government this protest is from the anti-development lobby in the state ideologues at best,and agents of foreign governments or its competitors in industry. Or it is simply about moreviolenee from Naxalite tribals, who want to terrorise the state, without reason.

But when its first (extremely hamhanded and brutal) efforts to quell dissent failed, Orissagovernment has responded with offers of enhanced compensation to the dead - from Rs. 1 lakhto Rs 5 lakh; jobs for a member of each bereaved family; and transfer of the district magistrateand superintendent of police. It is another matter, again, that the officials have been transferred(not suspended) to higher postings. But with this done, and talks of a new committee to workout future rehabilitation packages, the government hopes to ride the tide once again.

The state is working feverishly on the fact that it sits on huge mineral reserves - 25 percent of the country's iron ore; 60 per cent of its bauxite, and 90 per cent of chromite reserves, toname a few. In 1994, the country amended its mining legislation to allow private and foreigninvestment to explore and exploit 13 minerals, including iron ore, and added bauxite to the listin 1997. Since then, things haven’t been the same. investors - Indian and foreign - are beatingdown the doors of the poor state's poor government to be allowed land for industry and formining raw material. The state sees itself on a roll.

This is not to say that it hasn't seen skirmishes earlier. In Kashipur, the bauxite miningproject of Utkal Alumina International, a joint venture of the Canada-based ALCAN with theAditya Birla group of India, ran into a decade-long struggle. The tribals agitated furiously attheir lands being taken away for mining; the state responded with police firing in which tribalsdied, twice. The million tonne a year refinery and its mines in biodiversity rich forests of theSterlite group faces protests. As was the Jindal group's steel plant and its acquisition of land forits mining. The list goes on. And will go on.

The problem is there's been virtually no learning from any of these protests. Truth is thestate is sitting on a real tinderbox. Nearing half the state's area is tribal and comes under theSchedule V of the Constitution. This land is forested, and enormously rich in biodiversity. Thetribals who live on this land and practise subsistence agriculture are poor, and in many cases donot have recorded rights over the land they work.

This is part of the history we have inherited. Lands occupied by tribals for shiftingagriculture was taken over by the state and designated forestland. It is for reason that theselands are even more contested. When the state looks at compensation, it can only understandthe private landholdings, which is a minuscule part of the land-use system of the region. Theseforested lands, inhabited by poor people, are also the watersheds of central India. These lands,incidentally, also happen to be the mining reserves of the country.

Conflict is then inherent in the situation as there are competing needs and competingvalues for the same land. But the government remains mute and dismissive. In its mental

T

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poverty, it argues that anything it does to recognise the concern, will stymie its plans to developfeverishly. Its investment will move to other countries, even to other states of India: Jharkhand,West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh.

In this situation, the government becomes not the protector of public interest but industry'sincident middle - man. It will ensure cheap land, which it; will acquire at throwaway prices,using, means less than fair. It will make preferential allocation - without payment - for its rawmaterials: minerals, forests and water. Orissa has reserved 18 rivers and reservoirs exclusivelyfor industry.

This is a real problem. People live on these lands. The industry that will use these landswill not bring benefits to the local economy. The industry extracts local resources; displaceslocal people; overuses their water; and destroys the country's forests. And being modern andmechanised, industry will not even provide local employment. For the inhabitants of theselands, there are no benefits.

For answers, one needs to go beyond the impasse between the opponents of mining andthe proponents of mining at any cost. We must understand that while we have liberalised themining regime, we haven't reformed our mining policy. For instance, we have no policy on howmuch we should mine; where and whether we should allow exports of our primary products.We have no policy on how to ascertain the cost of raw material in the market place. Currentlythe royalty paid by mining companies is a pittance. In cement, we know that the cost oflimestone – its basis raw material - is only 4 per cent of its turnover. In steel or alumina, thesituation's much the same.

Another question: how best to share this royalty, cess or price. Fact is poor people live onthe richest lands of the country. If it is their land, it is also their resource, which they will sharewith the nation only under certain conditions.

Policy for mining is then not about minerals, but about people, lands, forests and water. Letus be clear: the tribals of Kalinganagar are not against development. They are only againstdevelopment on the cheap, at their cost. .

[Source: Down To Earth, January 31, 2006]

Mine or Yours?Dense forests and tribals caught in a forester-miner fight

harkhand seems to be poised for a large-scale confrontation in response to 42 memorandumsof understanding worth some Rs 1,70,000 crore signed by the state government with various

iron and steel companies, including big names like the Mittals, Jindals and Essar. But this timearound there is a twist to the tale - it's not just the tribals who are opposing the projects but alsothe state forest department (FD), with some young officials coming up with a proposal toprotect the forests of West Singhbhum district from the mining the proposed projects entail. Forthe tribals who depend on this forest, this is not a welcome development - should the proposalfind takers they might find the forest out of bounds.

Three divisional forest officers (DFOS) - of Saranda, Kolhan and Porhat divisions- areattempting to protect Saranda, home to Asia's largest sal (Shorea robusta) forest and animportant elephant habitat, which companies are eyeing for its large iron ore deposits. They'vesent a proposal to the state FD to declare the area a 'virgin forest'. "Since mining can take place

J

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in virgin forests only after exploring possibilities in non-virgin areas, this is one way to protectbiodiversity and the variety of species in the area from destruction," says C P Khanduja, DFO,Saranda, who drafted the proposal. The FD is vetting it before sending it to the government.

"The idea is to restrict mining in Saranda forest, or at least make it more difficult orexpensive to acquire land," says D Venkateshwarlu, Porhat DFO. Making leases moreexpensive will have the benefit of forcing mining companies to rationalise extraction. As ofnow, they don't. Because it is cheaper to abandon mines before they are fully mined - extractioncosts go up over time - and move to fresh land.

In the 85,000 hectares (ha) of the Saranda division, 28 leases for iron ore mining alreadyexist in about 9,300 ha. Now the mining department wants an additional. "What will be left ofthe forest then?" asks Khanduja. Already, the last three years have seen an increase in mining.Illegal mining in and around the forest is rampant.

Thousands of trucks jam the roads leading to the forest from Chaibasa past Nowamundi,disturbing people and damaging ecology. The proposed scale of some projects is an indicationof things to come. The Mittals require some 8,000 ha. On the anvil is a steel plant with acapacity of 12 million tonne and investment of Rs 40,000 crore. The Tatas want 4,800 ha. Theyare planning a 5-million tonne plant and Rs 35-crore investment. The Jindals are plugging for1,800 ha, with a 10-million tonne mill and Rs 11,500-crore investment.

The impact on forests is significant. According to the state of forest reports (SFRS),between 1997 and 1999 about 3,200 ha of forest was lost in the Singhbhum region. Between2001 and 2003, some 7,900 ha of dense forest were lost in East and West Singhbhum districts.While the numbers are not high, the loss of dense forest is significant.On the brink

Saranda too has been affected, but further degradation will have serious consequences forits considerable biodiversity. The DFOS have identified 237 forest compartments out of thetotal of 289, covering 64,000 ha, as being very compact dense forest areas still untouched bymining. A survey by them showed that a patch of 40 by 40 metres has some 30 plant species.Also, apart from elephants, the forests are home to the flying squirrel, four-horned antelope,sloth bear, leopard and deer among other species. K Z Bhutia, the Kolhan DFO, reports havingseen many oriental white-back vultures - listed by the World Conservation Union as a highlythreatened species. "We want to save the forest from exploitation. Giving it the status of avirgin forest will protect the areas from being used for commercial activities. This will, in turn,protect elephants and other wildlife," says Bhutia.

In 2001, the district was declared an elephant reserve under the central government'sProject Elephant, but the number of elephants has gone down from 424 in 2002 to 375 in 2005."High iron ore content in the rivers makes the water unfit for drinking and the noise of truckscarrying ore scares elephants away from Saranda, which is the core area," says Khanduja.According to R K Singh, who did doctoral research in Saranda between 1993 and 1998:"Mining, along with unmanaged tailing disposal into the river system is the biggest threat toelephant conservation." The Manoharpur group of mines around Chiria transport their ore usingroads going through the forest, which is also the main elephant migration route from Saranda toKolhan. A narrow gauge railway track along this road, used to transport ore, will be convertedto broad gauge. The railways have sanctioned a Rs 190-crore project to transport more ore fromthe Chiria mines.

As their habitat is increasingly disturbed, elephants go further afield in search of food.Reports of human-elephant conflicts have increased in the Kolhan and Porhat divisions. Most

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funds received under Project Elephant are spent on paying compensation for destruction ofcrops by elephants.The development bogey

The problem is that the issue has got caught in a development-conservation debate. But theforesters point out that destroying forests is not the only option. "Our suggestion is that theyshould explore iron ore available in other areas like Chaibasa south," says Khanduja.

The DFOS are also getting after existing leaseholders to keep to their commitment ofproviding funds for development of villages around the mines. "While companies weresupposed to contribute five per cent of their investment in tribal area development, they havenot done so in the last 50 years. But now we have imposed a condition of contribution," says anofficial.

The Jharkhand government, on its part, has decided to not allow private investors access tothe state's iron-ore reserves unless they set up steel plants in the state itself. "We have aproblem of unemployment here and because of that Naxalism is on the rise," says Jharkhandmining secretary A K Singh. "We have to bring in industries to generate employment." But forthis, the government has to acquire land, exacerbating conflict. District commissioners havebeen ordered to identify land for industries. But in many areas where surveys were attempted,tribals chased away company and government officials.

Mining is the largest cause for land alienation in Jharkhand. Between 1951 to 1991, over34 per cent of land acquired for development projects was for mining. This displaced aboutseven per cent of Jharkhand's population, of this nearly half were tribals. Many were neverrehabilitated or left to the mercies of the steel and mining companies.

In Kiriburu, for instance, where the public sector Steel Authority of India (SAIL) has itsmines, deep pits scar the forests. In the nine villages that fall under Kiriburu panchayat, life isbleak. Basant Lal, who became sarpanch in the last local body elections, has been writing to thegovernment pointing to the abject conditions of villagers despite the company promising jobsand development. "Our people, mostly adivasis, get very little work in the mines. Mostlypeople are brought in from outside," he says. It's the same in other villages.

Unsurprisingly, Naxalites have a strong presence here. While it has been alleged that localgroups take 'levies' from the mining companies, higher up in the command structure there isopposition to mining. On December 20, 2005, the Bihar- Jharkhand special area committee ofthe CPI (Maoist) sent out a press release opposing the proposed expansion of iron ore mining.

A section of the administration has also joined the tribal people in their fight againstmining: some openly, others tacitly. In Manoharpur, between the Saranda and Kolhan forestdivisions, tribal groups are preparing to resist land acquisition. Traditional tribal organisationslike the Ho Mahasabha are at the heart of the movement. The Jharkhand Mines' Area Co-ordination Committee, a Ranchi-based organisation, is also leading a campaign againstacquisition of tribal land. Apprehending large-scale displacement of tribals by the proposedJindal Industries project at Potka in East Singhbhum, tribal organisations have formed an 11-member committee to mobilise people against it.

The state is also mobilising. The struggle to protect tribal rights and oppose destructiveindustries is being described as a "law and order" problem and could be suppressed by beingbranded Naxal. Industrialists want protection and the government often obliges. Sushil Barla ofJOHAR, a Chaibasa-based human-rights organisation, says forces have been sent into Jaraikela,Chota Nagda, Manoharpur and Goelkeda villages.

[Source: Down To Earth, January 15, 2006]

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The Hidden SubsidyMining helps industry, not people

imestone, the main raw material in cement manufacturing, is obtained by large-scale opencast mining. In India, this stage of the cement life-cycle is the industry's weakest link -

environmentally and otherwise. It brings conflicting interests to a head - on the one hand, theneed to extract minerals for growing economies and, on the other, the need to conservelivelihoods of local communities dependent on local resources. The absence of tight regulationand clear policy directives gives the industry an upper hand; local communities suffer becausetheir natural resource base is degraded.

India has abundant reserves of limestone - 149,145 hectares (ha) has been leased out formining limestone, according to Monograph on Limestone and Dolomite, published by theIndian Bureau of Mines in 2003. The cement industry's limestone is mainly found in ninestates, which are home to many cement plants.

Lives and landscapesOne reason for the massive ecological impact of mining is the fact that it changes - often

irreversibly - the land-use patterns of an entire region. In developing countries, mining changesboth landscapes and lifestyles. Most mines are located on what used to be agricultural land:almost 60 per cent of land leased by the large-scale plants is suitable for agriculture.

Taking agricultural land away for mining impacts on local economies hugely, causingalienation from the environment and loss of livelihoods. Rehabilitation packages are usuallyinadequate, which makes matters worse. In Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, where thecement industry has grown rapidly, agricultural communities have had to move away fromtraditional lifestyles. Ecologically, the impact has been disastrous, with land being convertedinto quarries, thereby losing its fertility over the long haul.

Moreover, in India, much of what is designated wasteland is actually used by localcommunities for a variety of activities - like grazing cattle. Thirty-seven per cent of the areataken for mining in the GRP sample was earlier being used for grazing or marginal farming.The maximum impact has been in Rajasthan, which has a large population dependent onlivestock, and where 88 per cent of land leased out to the cement industry falls under thiscategory.

For the cement industry, land-use patterns, and ecological and social factors are not sitingcriteria, economic logic is. Forty-five per cent of plants are located in ecological sensitive areassuch as hilly terrain, or near forests and wildlife sanctuaries and within coastal regulationzones.

In the early 1980s, rampant limestone mining in the Dehradun valley in Uttaranchal (thenUttar Pradesh) sparked off huge protests. It was pointed out that one of the most importantfunctions of the limestone deposits was conservating rainwater. Decades of mining disturbedthe hydrological balance of the region. In 1986, the Supreme Court banned limestone mining inthe valley. All that happened was that mining shifted to Himachal Pradesh. The state haswelcomed cement manufacturers, assuring local communities that jobs will be created, but thetechnology is a problem.

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InfernoMining technology depends on factors such as hardness and compactness of deposits and

economics. In India, 88.7 per cent of limestone in the past five years was extracted by blasting.Surface miners were used to mine just 8.5 per cent of the deposits. Just four plants use surfaceminers - GACL-Gujarat unit, Madras Cement Ltd. Alathiyur Works, Sanghi Cement andGujarat Cement Works of the Ultratech group.

Using surface miners eliminates the problems commonly associated with blasting -including noise pollution and damage to houses in the vicinity. Currently available surfaceminers can only be used on soft deposits (having a compressive strength less than 600 kg/cm2).But some plants continue to use blasting to mine soft limestone for instance, Jamul CementWorks of the ACC group, Saurashtra Cement and Lafarge India's Sonadih unit. Gujarat SidheeCement Limited (GSCL) got a surface miner only in 2004, though its plant has been on streamsince 1987. This happens because there is no regulatory pressure on the industry to switch toeco-friendly technology. Industry prefers blasting because it costs Rs 36 per tonne of materialextracted, while surface mining costs Rs 47 per tonne.

When mining strikes the natural water table, the availability of water in the surroundingareas decreases. For example, in New Surjana village near the Chanderia mines of BirlaChittor, where the groundwater table has been breached, residents claim the water table haddipped from 25 feet to 400-500 feet, and wells and tube-wells have dried up.

Currently, there are no regulations to prevent breaching. Fourteen plants - 39 per cent ofthose rated by GRP – have say breaching of the water table is no problem. But the fact isgroundwater management is key to the future of India's ecology. Regular monitoring of groundwater levels within lease areas should be essential for mining. Currently, only 10 units monitorgroundwater levels. Industry will have to accept that breaching the water table and creating theillusion that making pits are efforts at rainwater harvesting are not acceptable strategies. Propermeasures have to be taken to manage groundwater properly - through hydrological studies, byidentifying and recharging natural aquifers, and creating infrastructure for water supply tonearby villages.

Poorly managedMining subsidises the cement industry - mine management is pathetic because little effort

or resources are spent on it or on reclamation. Less than half of the big cement plants have noreclamation programmes. The lack of credible regulation allows the industry to get away withthis.

Programmes for topsoil and overburden (waste by-products) management, afforestation,rain water harvesting or reducing siltation and runoff are at best half-hearted and most oftenineffectual. Take topsoil management. Though valuable ecologically, it has no immediateeconomic value. Predictably, it is poorly managed. Though more than half of the topsoilexcavated is supposedly stored for future reclamation efforts, only 8.7 per cent of plants haveplanted vegetation on topsoil dumps to reduce runoff and 35 per cent have constructed goodbunds or culverts around them. Afforestation has also been neglected. Mine lease areas are,however, barren.

Reclamation doesn't really happen. Whatever reclamation happens is skewed. Most plantsare going to reclaim parts of exhausted land – 77 per cent - by creating reservoirs. Plantationswill take up just 22.6 per cent. There are no reclamation plans for agriculture.

[Source: Down To Earth, December 31, 2005]

22

Government CircularsF. No.7 -19/2004-FCGovernment of India,

Ministry of Environment and Forests (FC Division)I.

Paryavaran Bhawan, C.G.O. Complex,Lodi Road, New Delhi -110 003

Dated: 22-09-2005To

1. The Principal Secretary (Forests) All States/UTs.2. The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, All States/UTs.

Sub: Supreme Court order dated 16-09-2005 in IA No.1 000 in Writ Petition (C) No. 202of 1995 - Jamwa Ramgarh Sanctuary matter.

Sir,Please find enclosed herewith a copy of the above-mentioned order of the Supreme Court,

which reads as follows:" ……...we again reiterate that without compliance of the environmental laws, in particular

the permission under Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, no Temporary Working Permission orTemporary Permit or any other permission by whatever name called shall be granted for miningactivities in the aforesaid areas (National Parks, Sanctuaries and forest area). We further directthat no mining activity would continue under any Temporary Working Permit or Permissionwhich may have been granted. . . . . . . . ."

In compliance with the aforesaid order, the Central Government hereby, directs you tostop all mining operations in forest areas which are running on the strength of TemporaryWorking Permission(TWP) granted by this Ministry, with immediate effect till further orders.Only those mines shall be allowed to operate who have got clearances under Forest(Conservation) Act, 1989, and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and have complied withthe conditions stipulated by the Central Government. Further, in continuation of this Ministry'sletters No.11-9/98-FC dated: 04-05-2001 and 24-11-2003 and aforesaid order of the ApexCourt, it is reiterated that all mining operations in National Parks and Sanctuaries shall continueto remain suspended.Encl: Order as above.

Sd/-(ANURAG BAJPAI)

Asstt. Inspector General of ForestsCopy to:

1. Secretary, Ministry of Coal and Mines, Government of India, New Delhi.2. Secretary, Ministry of Steel, Government of India, New Delhi.3. Joint Secretary (CM), IA Division, Ministry of Environment and Forests.4. All Regional Offices of Ministry of Environment and Forests.5. Nodal Officers (FC), All States/UTs.6. Director (FC)/ AIGs (FC)7. Shri A.D.N. Rao, Advocate, Supreme Court.8. PPS to Secretary (E&F) for information.9. Monitoring Cell to place it on website.10. Guard file.

23

(To be published in the Gazette of India, Part-II, Section3, Sub-section(ii)MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT AND FORESTS

II.New Delhi, the 15th September 2005

S. O. 1324(E) The following draft notification which the Central Government proposes to issue, in exercise of thepowers conferred by sub-section (1) and clause (v) of sub-section (2) of section 3 of the Environment (Protection)Act, 1986 (29 of 1986) for imposing certain restrictions and prohibitions on the undertaking of some projects oractivities or the expansion or modernization of such existing projects or activities entailing capacity addition, in anypart of India' , in supperssion of the Environment Impact Assessment Notification requiring prior environmentalclearance on certain projects or activities (number S.O. 60 (E) dated the 27'h January, 1994) is hereby published, asrequired under sub-rule (3) of rule 5 of the Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986, for the information of the publiclikely to be affected thereby and notice is hereby given that the said draft notification will be taken into considerationby the Central Government on or after the expiry of sixty days from the date of publication of said notification in theOfficial Gazette; (Includes the territorial waters of India and the Exclusive Economic Zone)

Any person interested in making any objections or suggestions on the proposals contained in the draftnotification may do so in writing within the period so specified through post to the Secretary, Ministry of Environmentand Forests, Paryavaran Bhawan, CGO complex, Lodi Road, New Delhi - 110003, or electronically at e-mailaddress: secy menf@nic.in

1. Draft NotificationWhereas by notification of the Government of India in the Ministry of Environment and Forests number S.O. 60

(E), dated 27th January 1994 (hereinafter referred to as the said notification), the Central Government imposedcertain restrictions and prohibitions on the expansion or modernization of any activity or new projects, listed inSchedule I to the said notification unless prior Environmental Clearance (EC) has been accorded by the CentralGovernment or the State Government in accordance with the procedure specified in the said notification;

And whereas, the said notification has succeeded in realizing necessary environmental safeguards byassessing the environmental impacts due to the proposed projects or activities that require prior environmentalclearance at the planning stage itself through a transparent process involving consultations with public and relevantexperts;

And whereas, the Central Government has reviewed the existing restrictions imposed on undertaking projectsor activities and the procedures and practices of environmental clearance to include only projects and activities withsignificant environmental impacts, and also to identify problems, constraints and measures required to be addressedfor making the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and prior environmental clearance processes moretransparent, efficient, and effective;

And whereas, as a result of the review a revised list of projects and activities which would require priorEnvironmental Clearance and a revised Environmental Clearance process has been formulated by the CentralGovernment after consultations with various stakeholders including Central Ministries, State Governments or theUnion Territory Administrations, Industry Associations, Institutions and Voluntary Organizations;

And whereas, the Central Government considers, it is necessary in the public interest to impose certainrestrictions and prohibitions on new projects or activities, or on the expansion or modernization of existing projects oractivities, as indicated in the Schedule to this notification, being undertaken in any part of India, unless priorenvironmental clearance has been accorded in accordance with the procedure specified in this notification, by theCentral Government or the State or Union Territory level Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), to beconstituted by the Central Government in consultation with the State Government or the Union TerritoryAdministration concerned under section 3 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, for the purpose of thisnotification;

Now, therefore, the following draft notification which the Central Government proposes to issue in exercise ofthe powers conferred by sub-section (1) and clause (v) of sub-section (2) of section 3 of the Environment(Protection) Act, 1986, read with clause (d) of sub-rule (3) of rule 5 of the Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986 and

24

in supersession of the notification number S.O. 60 (E) dated the 27'h January, 1994, except in respect of thingsdone or omitted to be done before such supersession, the Central Government hereby publishes this draftnotification as required under sub rule (3) of rule 5 of the Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986, which shall on andfrom the date of its final publication require new projects or activities or the expansion or modernization of existingprojects or activities entailing capacity addition listed in the Schedule to this notification, to be undertaken in any partof India only after the same has been accorded prior environmental clearance by the Central Government or theState level Environment Impact Assessment Authority concerned, as the case may be in accordance with therequirements and procedure specified hereinafter in this notification.

2. Requirements of prior Environmental Clearance (EC):The following projects or activities shall require prior environmental clearance from the concerned regulatoryauthority ,which shall hereinafter refer to the Central Government in the Ministry of Environment and Forests formatters falling under Category 'A' in the Schedule and at State level the State Environment Impact AssessmentAuthority (SEIAA)2 ,for matters falling under Category'S' in the said Schedule, before any construction work, orpreparation of land by the project management, is started on the project or activity: (2 In case of coastal States or theUnion territories, the seaward jurisdiction of the SEIAA concerned will extend to a distance of 04 nautical milesmeasured from the low-tide line)

(i) All new projects or activities listed in the Schedule to this notification;

(ii) Expansion and modernization of existing projects or activities listed in the Schedule to this notification withaddition of capacity beyond the limits specified for the concerned sector, that is, projects or activities whichcross the threshold limits given in the Schedule, after expansion or modernization;

(iii) Any change in product mix in an existing manufacturing unit included in Schedule beyond the specified range.

3. Categorization of projects and activities:(i) All projects or activities included as Category 'A' in the Schedule, including expansion and modernization of

existing projects or activities and change in product mix, shall require prior environmental clearance from theCentral Government in the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) on the recommendations of an ExpertAppraisal Committee (EAC) to be constituted by the Central Government for the purposes of this notification;

(ii) All projects or activities included as Category 's' in the Schedule, including expansion and modernization ofexisting projects or activities as specified in sub paragraph (ii) of paragraph 2, or change in product mix. asspecified in sub paragraph (iii) of paragraph 2, but excluding those which fulfill the General Conditions (GC)stipulated in the Schedule, will require prior environmental clearance from the State/Union TerritoryEnvironment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA). The SEIAA will base its decision on the recommendationsof a State/Union Territory level Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC) to be constituted by the StateGovernment /Union Territory Administration concerned, as provided for in this notification;

(iii) All projects or activities included as Category' A/S' in the Schedule, including Category 'A/S' projects oractivities which fulfill the General Conditions (GC) stipulated in the Schedule, will be screened by the ExpertAppraisal Committee (EAC) of the Central Government in the Ministry of Environment and Forests and re-categorized as either Category 'A' or Category 'S' based on their potential for adverse third partyenvironmental impacts in their specific location, and prior environmental clearance may be granted by theconcerned regulatory authority as indicated in sub paragraphs (i) and (ii) above.

4. Screening, Scoping and Appraisal Committees:The same Expert Appraisal Committees (EACs) at the Central Government and SEACs at the State or the

Union Territory level shall screen, scope and appraise projects or activities in Category' A' and Category 'S'respectively.(a) The composition of the EAC at the level of the Central Government is given in Appendix VI. The SEACs at the

State or the Union Territory level shall be constituted by the Central Government in consultation with theconcerned State Government or the Union Territory Administration with identical composition,

25

(b) The Central Government may, with the prior concurrence of the concerned State Governments or the UnionTerritory Administrations, constitute a SEAC for more than one State or the Union Territory for reasons ofadministrative efficiency and cost.

(c) The EAC and SEAC shall be constituted for period of three years.(d) The authorised members of the EAC and SEAC, concerned, may inspect any site(s) connected with the

project or activity in respect of which the prior environmental clearance is sought, for the purposes ofscreening or scoping or appraisal, with prior notice of at least seven "days to the applicant, who shall providenecessary facilities for the inspection.

(e) The EAC and SEACs shall function on the principle of collective responsibility. The Chairperson shallendeavour to reach a consensus in each case, and if consensus cannot be reached, the view of the majorityshall prevail.

(f) In the absence of a duly constituted State or the Union Territory level SEAC, the concerned SEIAA may referan application for a project or activity in Category's' to the Central Government with a request for conduct ofscreening, scoping and appraisal by the EAC. In such cases, the EAC will send its recommendations directlyto the SEIAA concerned. The final decision on such application shall remain with the SEIAA concerned.

5. Application for Prior Environmental Clearance (EC):An application seeking prior environmental clearance in all cases shall be made in the prescribed Form 1, as

given in Appendix I, and Supplementary Form 1 A, if applicable, as given in Appendix II, after the identification ofprospective site(s) for the project and/or activities to which the application relates, before commencing anyconstruction activity, or preparation of land, at the site by the applicant. The applicant shall furnish, along with theapplication, a copy of the pre- feasibility project report in the case of greenfield projects, and expansion andmodernization of existing projects and/or activities, except that, in case of construction projects or activities (Item 8of the Schedule) in addition to Form 1 and the Supplementary Form 1 A, a copy of the conceptual plan shall beprovided, instead of the pre-feasibility report.

6. Stages in the Prior Environmental Clearance (EC) Process:The environmental clearance process will comprise of a maximum of four stages, all of which may not apply to

particular cases as set forth below in this notification. These four stages in sequential order are:• Stage 1 : Screening (except for Category 'A' projects .", and activities)• Stage 2:Scoping• Stage 3: Public Consultation• Stage 4: Appraisal.

Stage 1 : Screening:(i) "Screening" refers to the definite assignment of environmental Category to projects or activities in respect of

which an application is made for prior Environmental Clearance, where the same is not completely specified inthe Schedule.

(ii) In case of Category 'A' 'I' 'S' projects or activities, this stage will entail the scrutiny of an application seekingprior environmental clearance made in Form 1, by the Expert Appraisal Committee in the Central Governmentfor categorizing the project or activity as either Category 'A' or Category 'S' depending upon the anticipatedpotential for adverse third party environmental impacts of the concerned project or activity. In order to considerthe views of the State Government or the Union Territory Administration concerned on the project, arepresentative of the State Government or the Union Territory Administration shall be an invitee to the ExpertAppraisal Committee meeting in all cases of Screening of Category 'A'I'S' projects or activities.

(iii) In case of Category 'S' projects or activities, this stage will entail the scrutiny of an application seeking priorenvironmental clearance made in Form 1 by the concerned State level Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC)for determining whether or not the project or activity requires further environmental studies for preparation ofan Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for its appraisal prior to the grant of environmental clearance. Theprojects requiring an Environmental Impact Assessment report shall be termed Category 'B1' and remainingprojects shall be termed Category 'B2' and will not require an EIA report.

26

(iv) In case of an application for prior environmental clearance for expansion and/or modernization and/or forchange in the product mix of an existing project or activity, the same shall be screened by the Expert AppraisalCommittee or the State level Expert Appraisal Committee concerned, depending upon the category of theproject or activity resulting from the proposed expansion and/or modernization and/or change in the productmix, as for a greenfield project of the same category.

Stage 2: Scoping:(i) "Scoping": refers to the process by which the Expert Appraisal Committee in the case of Category 'A' projects

or activities, and State level Expert Appraisal Committee in the case of Category 'B1' projects or activities,including screened applications for expansion and/or modernization and/or change in product mix of existingprojects or activities, determine detailed and comprehensive Terms Of Reference (TOR) addressing allrelevant environmental concerns for the preparation of an Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Report inrespect of the project or activity for which prior environmental clearance is sought. The Expert AppraisalCommittee or State level Expert Appraisal Committee concerned shall determine the TOR on the basis ofForm I, and if considered necessary by the EAC or SEAC concerned, a site visit by the relevant member(s) ofthe EAC or SEAC concerned, and other information that may be available with the EAC or SEAC concerned,in the prescribed format given in Appendix II. All projects and activities listed as Category 'B' in Item 8 of theSchedule (Construction) shall not require Scoping3.

(ii) The Terms of Reference (TOR) shall be conveyed to the applicant by the EAC or SEAC as concerned withinsixty days of the receipt of Form 1 . The TOR shall also be displayed on the website of the Ministry ofEnvironment and Forests and the concerned SEIAA. Applications for prior environmental clearance may berejected by the regulatory authority concerned on the recommendation of the EAC or SEAC concerned at thisstage itself4. In case of such rejection, the decision, together with reasons for the same shall be communicatedto the applicant in writing within sixty days of the receipt of the application. (3 In other words, they will beappraised on the basis of Form 1 and Form 1 A, and the conceptual plan. 4The consideration of the applicationfor prior EC must be in accordance with the Objectives and Principles of the National Environment Policy.Reasons outside these Objectives and Principles are not to constitute a ground for acceptance or rejection ofthe application)

Stage 3: Public Consultation:

(i) "Public Consultation" refers to the process by which the concerns of local people andother concerned persons with respect to the potential adverse environmental impacts of theproposed project or activity are ascertained with a view to addressing the material concerns inthe EIA and the Environment Management Plan (EMP). All Category 'A' and Category B1projects or activities shall undertake Public Consultation5, except the following: (5 The PublicConsultation is intended to ascertain, with a view to taking into account in the project/activitydesign as appropriate, the concerns of the local affected persons, and others who have aplausible stake in the environmental impacts of the project/activity)(a) Modernization of irrigation projects (Item 1 (c) (ii) of the Schedule).(b) All projects or activities located within industrial estates or parks (Item 7(c) of the Schedule) approved by

the concerned authorities, and which are not disallowed in such approvals.(c) Expansion of Roads and Highways (Item 7 (f) of the Schedule) which do not involve any further

acquisition of land.(d) Construction projects with built up area less than 1,00,000 (1 lakh) square metres (Category 'B' of Item 8

(a) of the Schedule).(e) All Category 'B2' projects and activities.(f) All projects or activities concerning national defence and security as determined by the Central

Government.(ii) The Public Consultation shall ordinarily have two components comprising of:

(a) Public Hearing at the site or in its close proximity, district wise, for ascertaining theconcerns of the local persons who have a plausible material stake in the environmental impacts of theproject. The Public Hearing shall be carried out in the manner prescribed in Appendix IV.

27

(b) Responses by concerned persons in writing from other concerned persons having a plausible stake inthe environmental aspects of the project or activity. The responses by the concerned persons shall becarried out in the following manner:(i) The regulatory authority concerned, shall invite responses by concerned persons through their

websites by placing on their website the summary EIA report in the format given in Appendix III Aprepared by the applicant within seven days of the receipt of a written request to the effect fromthe applicant, together with the summary EIA report, and the draft EIA report for a period of sixtydays. The regulatory authority concerned may also use other appropriate media for ensuring widepublicity about the project or activity. The draft EIA report shall be made available by the regulatoryauthority concerned promptly to persons who request the same in writing within the period of sixtydays. The regulatory authority concerned shall send copies of all the responses received to theapplicant within seven days of expiry of the said period for receipt of responses from concernedpersons.

(ii) The Public Hearing at, or in close proximity to, the site(s) in all cases shall be conducted by theState Pollution Control Board (SPCB) or the Union Territory Pollution Control Committee (UTPCC)concerned in the specified manner within sixty days of receipt of a request to the effect from theapplicant. It shall send the proceedings of the public hearing within fifteen days thereafter directlyto the applicant, the EAC or the SEAC concerned, and the regulatory authority concerned.

(iii) In case the State Pollution Control Board or the Union Territory Pollution Control Committeeconcerned does not undertake the public hearing within the specified period, and/or does notconvey the proceedings of the public hearing within the prescribed period directly to the applicant,the EAC or SEAC concerned, and the regulatory authority concerned, the regulatory authority shallengage another public agency or authority which is not subordinate to the regulatory authority, tocomplete the process within a further period of forty five days, including communication of theproceedings of the public hearing, directly to the applicant, the EAC or SEAC concerned, and theregulatory authority concerned.

(iv) If the public agency or authority nominated under the sub paragraphs (ii) and(iii) Above reports to the regulatory authority concerned that owing to the local situation, it is not possible to

conduct the public hearing in a manner which will enable the views of the concerned local persons to be freelyexpressed, it shall report the facts in detail to the concerned regulatory authority, which may, after dueconsideration of the report and other reliable information that it may have, decide that the public consultation inthe case need not include the public hearing.

(iv) After completion of the public consultation, the applicant shall address all the material environmental concernsexpressed in the process of public consultation, and make appropriate changes in the draft EIA and EMP. Thefinal EIA report, so prepared, shall be submitted by the applicant to the concerned regulatory authority forappraisal.

Stage 4: Appraisal:

(i) "Appraisal" means the detailed scrutiny of the application and the EIA reportsubmitted by the applicant to the regulatory authority concerned, by the EAC or SEACconcerned. The appraisal shall be made by EAC or SEAC concerned in proceedings at whichthe applicant, at his option, may be heard in person or through his authorized representative.On conclusion of these proceedings, the EAC or SEAC concerned shall make categoricalrecommendations to the regulatory authority concerned either for grant of priorenvironmental clearance on stipulated terms and conditions, or rejection of the application forprior environmental clearance, together with reasons for the same.

(ii) The appraisal of all projects or activities which are not required to undergo public consultation, or submit anEIA report, shall be carried out on the basis of Forms 1 or 1 A as applicable, visit to the site(s) of the project oractivity by the relevant member(s) of the EAC or SEAC concerned as duly authorized by the EAC or SEACconcerned, and other relevant information which is available to the EAC or SEAC concerned.

28

(iii) The appraisal shall be strictly in terms of the TOR finalized at the scoping stage and the concerns expressedduring public consultation, and shall be completed within sixty days of the receipt of the EIA report whererequired, and otherwise the application in Form 1 or 1 A. The procedure for appraisal is given in Appendix V.

7. Grant or Rejection of Prior Environmental Clearance (EC):(i) The regulatory authority shall consider the recommendations of the EAC or SEAC concerned and convey its

decision to the applicant within one hundred and twenty days of the receipt of the final EIA Report, and whereEIA is not required, within one hundred and twenty days of the receipt of the complete application with relevantspecified documents, except as provided below.

(ii) The regulatory authority shall normally accept the recommendations of the EAC or SEAC concerned. In caseswhere it disagrees with the recommendations of the EAC or SEAC concerned, the regulatory authority shallrequest reconsideration by the EAC or SEAC concerned within sixty days of the receipt of therecommendations of the EAC or SEAC concerned, together with its reasons for the disagreement, underintimation to the applicant. The EAC or SEAC concerned, in turn, shall consider the observations of theregulatory authority and furnish its views on the same within a further period of sixty days. The decision of theregulatory authority after considering the views of the EAC or SEAC concerned shall be final arid conveyed tothe applicant by the regulatory authority concerned within thirty days of receipt of these views of the EAC orSEAC concerned.

(iii) In the event that the decision of the regulatory authority is not communicated to the Applicant within the periodspecified in sub-paragraphs (i) or (ii) above, as applicable, the applicant may proceed as if the environmentclearance sought for has been granted or denied by the regulatory authority in terms of the finalrecommendations of the EAC or SEAC concerned.

(iv) On expiry of the period specified for decision by the regulatory authority under paragraph (i) and (ii) above, asapplicable, the decision of the regulatory authority, and the final recommendations of the EAC or SEACconcerned shall be public documents.

(v) Clearances from other regulatory bodies or authorities shall not be required prior to receipt of applications forprior environmental clearance of projects or activities, or screening, or scoping, or appraisal, or decision by theregulatory authority concerned, unless any of these is sequentially dependent on such clearance either due toa requirement of law, or for necessary technical reasons.

(vi) Deliberate concealment or submission of false or misleading information or data which is material to screeningor scoping or appraisal or decision on the application shall make the application liable for rejection, andcancellation of prior environmental clearance granted on that basis. Rejection of an application or cancellationof a prior environmental clearance already granted, on such ground, may be decided by the regulatoryauthority, after giving a personal hearing to the applicant, and following the principles of natural justice.

8. Validity of Environmental Clearance (EC):By "Validity of Environmental Clearance" is meant the period from which a prior environmental clearance is

granted by the regulatory authority, or may be presumed by the applicant to have been granted under sub paragraph(iv) of paragraph 7 above, to the start of production operations by the project or activity, or completion of allconstruction operations in case of construction projects {Item 8 of the Schedule}6, to which the application for priorenvironmental clearance refers. The prior environmental clearance granted for a project or activity shall be valid for aperiod of ten years in the case of River Valley projects {Item 1 {c} of the Schedule} and five years in the case of allother projects and activities. This period of validity may be extended by the regulatory authority concerned by amaximum period of five years provided an application is made to the regulatory authority by the applicant within thevalidity period, together with an updated Form 1, and Supplementary Form 1 A, for Construction projects or activities(Item 8 of the Schedule). In this regard the regulatory authority may also consult the EAC or SEAC as the case maybe. No extension for the validity period shall be granted beyond a total of fifteen years in the case of River Valleyprojects and a total of ten years in the case of all other projects and activities. (6 the period of validity does not referto any requirement of renewal of obtaining a fresh environmental clearance during the operational lifetime of aproject or activity).

9. Post Environmental Clearance Monitoring:

29

(i) It shall be mandatory for the project management to submit half-yearly compliance reports in respect of thestipulated prior environmental clearance terms and conditions in hard and soft copies to the regulatoryauthority concerned, on 1st June and 1st December of each calendar year.

(ii) All such compliance reports submitted by the project management shall be public documents. Copies of thesame shall be given to any person on application to the concerned regulatory authority. The latest suchcompliance report shall also be displayed on the web site of the concerned regulatory authority.

10. Transferability of Environmental Clearance (EC):A prior environmental clearance granted for a specific project or activity to an applicant may be transferred

during its validity to another legal person entitled to undertake the project or activity on application by the transferor,or by the transferee with a written "no objection" by the transferor, to, and by the regulatory authority concerned, onthe same terms and conditions under which the prior environmental clearance was initially granted, and for the samevalidity period. No reference to the EAC or SEAC concerned is necessary in such cases.

11. Operation of EIA Notification, till disposal of pending cases:From the date of final publication of this notification the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) notification

number S.O.60(E) dated 27th January, 1994 as amended from time to time, shall stand superceded, except to theextent that in case of all or some types of applications made for prior environmental clearance and pending on thedate of final publication of this notification, the Central Government may relax anyone or all provisions of thisnotification, or continue operation of some or all provisions of the said notification for a period not exceeding oneyear from the date of issue of the aforesaid notification.

[No. J-11 013/56/2004-IA-11 (I)](R.CHANDRAMOHAN)

JOINT SECRETARY TO THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

SCHEDULELIST OF PROJECTS OR ACTIVITIES REQUIRING PRIOR

ENVIRONMENTAL CLEARANCECategorySl.

No.Project or Activity NIC code

(2004)ISICCode A A/B B

Conditions ifany

1. Mining, extraction of natural resources and power generation (for a specificproduction capacity)

(a) Mining of minerals 101excluding10103, 102excluding10203, 120,131, 132,141, 142

> 50 ha. of miningleases area

<50 ha. >15 ha. ofmininglease area

< 15 ha. > ha. ofmining lease area

GeneralCondition(GC-1)

(b) Offshore and onshore oiland gas exploration,development &production

1110, 1120 All projects -- -- --

(c) River Valley projects 40101,45205,45206

(i) > 20 MWhydroelectric powergeneration;(ii) > 10,000 ha. ofculturable commandarea

-- (i) < 20 MWhydroelectric powergeneration;(ii) 10,000 ha. ofculturable commandarea

GC-1

(d) Thermal Power Plants 40102,40103,45207

> 500 MW (coal & gasbased);> 50 MW (dieselbased)

-- < 500 MW (coal & gasbased);> 50 MW (dieselbased)

GC-1

(e) Nuclear power projectsand processing ofnuclear fuel

40104,45207,23300

All projects -- --

2. Primary Processing

30

(a) Coal washeries 10103,10203

> 1 million ton/ annumthroughput of coal

-- < 1 million ton/ annumthroughput of coal

GC-1

(b) Mineral beneficiation > 0.1 million ton/annum mineralthroughput

< 0.1 million ton/annum mineralthroughput

GC-1

3. Materials Production(a) Primary metallurgical

industries (ferrous & nonferrous)

271excluding27120, 272

All projects -- -- --

(b) Sponge iron industry 27120 -- -- All projects GC-1(c) Cement Plants 26941,

26942,26949

> 1.0 million tonnes/annum productioncapacity

-- <1.0 million tonnes/annum productioncapacity

GC-1

(d) Manufacture of lead acidbatteries

All projects -- -- --

4. Minerals Processing(a) Petroleum refining

industry2320 All projects -- - --

(b) Coke oven plants 231 All projects -- -- --(c)(d) Chlor-alkali industry,

Soda ash industry24117* >100 TPD production

capacity or located outside the notifiedindustrial area/estate

-- < production capacityor located out side thenotified industrialarea/estate

GC-1

(No newMercury Cellbased plantswill bepermitted andexisting unitsconverting tomembrancecell technologyare exemptedfrom thisNotification)Specificcondition (SC)(No new unitand expansionof an existingunit will bepermittedoutside anotifiedindustrialarea/estate

(e) Leather/skin/’ hideprocessing industry

1911excluding19116

-- Located within anotified industrialarea/ estate

5. Manufacturing/ Fabrication(a) Chemical fertilizers 2412 All projects -- -- --(b) Pesticides &

pesticidesintermediates(excludingformulations)

2421* All projects -- -- --

31

(c) Petro-chemicalcomplexes(industries based onprocessing ofpetroleum factions& natural gas and/ore forming toaromatics)

All projects -- -- --

(d) Manmade fibresmanufacturing

2430 Rayon -- Others GC-1

(e) Petrochemicalbased processing(processes otherthan cracking &reformation and notcovered under thecomplexes)

Located out sidethe notifiedindustrial area/estate

Located in anotified industrialarea/ estate

GC-1

(f) Synthetic organicchemicals industry(dyes & dyeintermediates;synthetic rubbers;basic organicchemicals)

2411excluding24117*2423excluding24236*,2413

Located out sidethe notifiedindustrial area/estate

Located in anotified industrialarea/ estate

SC

(g) Distilleries 1551 i) All Molassesbased distilleries.ii) All Cane juice/non molassesbased distilleries> 30 KLD

All Cane juice/non molassesbased distilleries< 30 KLD

GC-1

(h) Integrated paintindustry

24222 -- -- All projects GC-1

(i) Pulp & paperindustry

2101 Pulpmanufacturingand pulp & papermanufacturingindustry

-- (Papermanufacturingindustry withoutpulpmanufacturing)

GC-1

(i) Sugar Industry 1542excluding(gur &boora)15422&23,15426&27

-- > 2500 tcd canecrushing capacity

GC-1

(k) Induction/ arcfurnace

-- - All projects GC-1 & SC

(l) Automobilemanufacturing units(Scooters,Motorcycles, Cars,trucks and otherheavy duty vehicles)

3410 -- Allprojects

--

[Source: Mining Engineers Journal, December 2005 & January 2006]

32

To be continued in the next issue

33

Some Important Statistics related to Coal Mining

Coal Reserves of India( 247.85 Billion Tonnes as on 1.1.2005)

Coal Resources in Million TonnesStateProved

IndicatedInferred Total

Andhra Pradesh 8263 6079 2584 16926Arunachal Pradesh 31 40 19 90Assam 279 27 34 340Bihar 0 0 160 160Chhattisgarh 9373 26191 4411 39975Jharkhand 35417 30439 6348 72204Madhya Pradesh 7513 8815 2904 19232Maharashtra 4653 2309 1620 8582Meghalaya 117 41 301 459Nagaland 4 1 15 20Orissa 15161 30976 14847 60984Uttar Pradesh 766 296 0 1062West Bengal 11383 11876 4554 27813Total 92960 117090 37797 247847

[Source: http://www.coal.nic.in]

Type-wise and Category-wise Coal Resources of India (as on 1.1.2005)(in Million Tonnes)

Type of Coal Proved Indicated Inferred Total(A) Coking-Prime Coking 4614 699 5313-Medium Coking 11417 11765 1889 25071-Semi-Coking 482 1003 222 1707Sub-Total: Coking 16513 13467 2111 32091(B) Non-Coking* 76447 103623 35686 215756Total (Coking &Non-Coking)

92960 117090 37797 247847

* Including all coals of North Eastern Region. [Source: http://www.coal.nic.in]

Accident Statistics of CIL in the Year 2005 (upto Sept.)

34

Year Fatal Accidents SeriousAccidents

Fatality Rate Serious Injury

Acci-dents

Fata-lities

Acci-dents

Inju-ries

PerM.T.

Per 3Lakh

Manshifts

PerM.T.

Per3 Lakh

Manshifts

1975 177 233 1456 1515 2.62 0.52 17.03 3.41

2002 62 69 375 397 0.24 0.19 1.37 1.09

2003 56 60 339 354 0.20 0.17 1.18 1.00

2004 66 70 384 396 0.22 0.20 1.23 1.12

2005(upto Sept)

49 65 262 271 0.21 0.20 1.10 1.05

[http://www.coal.nic.in]

Coal Production in India

(in million tonnes)

Year Coking Non-Coking Total

1999-2000 33.25 266.72 299.97

2000-2001 30.90 278.73 309.63

2001-2002 28.67 293.97 322.64

2002-2003 30.49 306.30 336.87

2003-2004 29.40 326.32 355.72

2004-2005 30.22 352.40 382.62

(figures excluding Meghalaya) [Source: http://www.coal.nic.in]

35

Company-wise Coal Production during Last Five Years

Company 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06(April-

Nov, 05)ECL 28.03 28.55 27.18 28.00 27.25 17.46

BCCL 25.97 25.25 24.15 22.70 22.31 13.45CCL 31.75 33.81 36.98 37.33 37.39 22.66NCL 41.40 42.46 45.10 47.03 49.95 32.04WCL 35.20 37.01 37.82 39.53 41.41 26.56SECL 60.33 64.12 66.60 71.01 78.55 52.18MCL 44.80 47.81 52.23 60.05 66.08 44.07NEC 0.66 0.64 0.63 0.73 0.63 0.49

Total CIL 268.14 279.65 290.69 306.38 323.58 208.91SCCL 30.27 30.81 33.24 33.85 35.30 20.93CaptiveCollieries

11.22 12.18 12.94 15.49 23.74 16.17

GrandTotal

309.63 322.64 336.87 355.72 382.62 246.01

Do not include Meghalaya Coal [Source: http://www.coal.nic.in]

Working Results of Coal India Ltd. For the last Three Years-Company-wise position withregard to profit (+) earned or loss (-) incurred during the last three years is as under :-

(Rs. in crores)

Company 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05(Provisional)

ECL - 338.78 -326.38 -15.51BCCL - 507.13 -569.85 -248.03CCL 384.65 370.38 900.42NCL 1293.01 1647.06 2020.39WCL 472.52 743.60 1071.86SECL 882.13 1314.22 1573.80MCL 882.31 1418.60 1581.23

CMPDIL 1.99 1.76NEC/CIL 280.08 1355.97 - 58.62

Sub Total 3350.78 5955.36 6825.54Less dividend from

subsidiaries(-)485.28 (-) 1066.20 --

TOTAL: CIL 2865.50 4889.16 --(Source: http://www.coal.nic.in)

36

CURRENT NEWS

SC directs KIOCL to stop Mining OperationsThe Supreme Court has again directed the Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Ltd (KIOCL) to

shut down mining activities by 31.12.200,5. The order has however asked to submit mineclosure plan in Jan 2006. KIOCL has prepared a closure plan which calls for further mining(breaking of 54 Ha. of unbroken area) to ensure slope stability. The plan has been approved bythe Indian Bureau of Mines and has been submitted to the ministry of environment and forests.The court which gave a date for hearing in September 2006 end, instead has directed thecompany to first shut down its mining operations according to the original judgment. Optimistshope that the January 2006 hearing on closure plans would permit slope stability.

[Source: Mining Engineers’ Journal, January 2006]

SC dismisses KIOCL Closure PlanThe Supreme Court has dismissed a petition seeking review of the judgment directing the

closure of Kudremukh Iron Ore Mines by 31.12.2005, rendering around 2500 workmen jobless.A Bench comprising Chief Justice Y.K.Sabharwal, Justice Arijit Pasayat and JusticeS.H.Kapadia declined to entertain the review petition filed by the Kudremukh Shram ShaktiSangathan against the verdict directing closure of the mines.

[Source: Mining Engineers’ Journal, January 2006]

Govt. should take steps not to close down KIOCLMangalore, December 31, 2005: Communist Party of India (CPI) today demanded that allefforts should be made by the government for the revival of mining operations by the profitmaking Public Sector Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Limited (KIOCL), which was forced tostop its mining operations from mid-night today following the Supreme Court order. CPIKarnataka Secretary Dr Siddanagowda Patil, addressing a press conference here, strongly feltthat the profit making KIOCL should be allowed to continue the mining operations at theexisting site at Kudremukh in the best interest of the more than 10,000 people employed.KIOCL, being a 100 per cent export oriented has been earning huge revenue in foreignexchange, he said adding that however, the party was not in favour of granting miningpermission in other market areas of Kudremukh such as Gangadikal. He also criticised that allclaims made by the environmentalist's groups and other NGOs regarding the increase inpollution and accumulation of silt in Lakhya Dam and Lakkavalli Dam due to the flow of ironOre silt was totally "unfound and baseless", even silt was accumulating in dams like Almattiand Narayanapura dams which was common and the government should need to take stepsregular removal of accumulated silt. Mr Patil also pointed that the actual danger posed to thewestern ghat was not due to the mining operations by the KIOCL but due to the larger scaleencroachment of government, forest land by the big land holders. He also alleged that thesesame groups have also not so far raised their voice against the private mining operations atSandur and Hospet, which were owned by people in power.

[Source: http://news.webindia123.com]

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Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) faults Centre, K'taka Govt forKudremukh IssueMangalore, December 30, 2005: The Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) todayalleged that the failure on the part on both the Union and State Governments in bringing inamendments to the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and Forest Conservation Act, 1980, wasresponsible for the closure of mining operations in the public sector Kudremukh Iron OreCompany Limited (KIOCL). Addressing a press conference here, DYFI State President K NUmesh urged the Centre to bring in amendments to the Acts soon to safeguard the interests ofthousands of employees and their family members. Stating that the closure of mining activitiesfollowing a Supreme Court order would incur a loss of crores of Rupees to the country'sexchequer and the company, he faulted the State Government for failing to argue the caseproperly before the Apex Court.

[Source: http://news.webindia123.com]

A new dawn over Kudremukh: Value for MoneyNew Delhi, December 28, 2005: As the sun goes down on 2005, there will be cause for bothrejoicing and depression over Kudremukh. The depression will mainly be among the 2,500-oddemployees of Kudremukh Iron Ore Company, who see their future threatened by the SupremeCourt’s refusal to budge from its decision that mining should stop in the Kudremukh NationalPark by the end of the year. The rejoicing will be among much more spread-out groups likefarmers in Karnataka who live by the Bhadra river and many in India and around the world whofeel preserving the environment and wildlife should be among mankind’s key concerns. Thebattle to save the Kudremukh area of the Western Ghats, one of the globally identified bio-diversity “hot spots” (areas rich in native plant and animal life minus a large part of theiroriginal habitat), from the devastation wrought by open cast mining, is important not just foritself, but also as a guide to how such issues can get sorted out even in a poor country likeIndia. It is tempting to think that India, with its strong courts and tenacious NGOs, is better offthan China, which is visited by one environmental disaster after another and countries likeIndonesia which continue to burn rain forests and literally spread a pall of gloom over the area.

If we recall that the Silent Valley in Kerala was saved for posterity effectively throughthe intervention of one person, Indira Gandhi, the denouement of the battle over Kudremukhindicates that the country need no longer be dependent on the good fortune of having the rightperson in the right place at the critical time. The country’s institutional mechanism ensures thatjustice and foresight will prevail and the powerful defeated. Over the Christmas weekend myfamily and I went holidaying to Chikmagalur and took a short drive through parts of theKudremukh National Park. If the green hills of Chikmagalur are soft and pretty, Kudremukh ina way represents its crowning glory. It is an area of outstanding beauty, marked by alternatestretches of grassland and dense forests. This contrast at not so high an altitude (alpinemeadows come above 10,000 feet whereas Kudremukh mostly averages 2,500 feet) isremarkable. Familiar as I have been with the often-denuded slopes of the UP and Himachalhills, I could only think that Kudremukh is a treasure that has to be preserved for futuregenerations. But the value of the Western Ghats or Kudremukh or any such region goes beyondaesthetics. To preserve the diversity of plant and animal life is to ensure the future of life on theplanet itself. This is by now well-known but bears repetition as a lot of the debate onenvironmental issues in India still depicts environmental concerns as upper-class fads. Verysimply, we need to save the environment for our children and their children. To do this you

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have to concentrate on areas rich in diversity but simultaneously threatened. And you preservesuch bio-diversity by not fragmenting its home or habitat. R Sukumar, who led an IndianInstitute of Science study of Kudremukh, told Frontline, “Habital fragmentation is the singlelargest threat to bio-diversity and biological integrity.”

To break up a continuous region which has its own integrity is to get ready to destroy it.And how much ruinous can you get than to do open cast mining in such an area! You are notjust digging narrow shafts but literally shaving off layers and layers of earth with all the microorganisms in them. It is on these that the pyramid of life is built with the large predators at thetop. The IISc report asserts, “open cast mining causes … virtually irreparable damage.” Thewell-meaning gentlemen who run the iron ore firm are upset that they get no credit for plantingmillions of saplings to reforest the area. First, what they planted were acacia and eucalyptus,which are exotic (alien to the region) and that too on the grasslands, not where they shaved offthe earth through their mining. They show you tree cover where there was grassland originally,when it is quite wrong to think that natural grassland is devoid of its own life.

The iron ore mining lease in Kudremukh was granted in 1969 for 30 years. In 1987 camethe pelletisation plant in Mangalore, where beneficiated ore was sent as slurry via a pipeline.This beneficiation process is a particular culprit. It leaves behind waste tailings which arepolluting the Bhadra river (it looks different from what it used to) and rapidly harming farmyields along its course. In 1987 also came the notification, on the pleading of conservationistslike Ullas Karanth, declaring 56,000 hectares as a national park. The key issue was the stategovernment quietly leaving out 3,700 hectares where the iron ore company worked. So after thelease ended in 1999, K M Chinnappa, a retired forest officer who led an NGO called WildlifeFirst, moved the Supreme Court, seeking an end to the mining. The court posed the primaryquestion—why allow mining in a notified forest area—and answered with its verdict in 2002that mining end by 2005. In endless legal battles over the last three years, the court has stoodfirm in its resolve. In a small way a new dawn will break over Kudremukh and India in 2006!

[Source: http://www.business-standard.com]

Centre, State to feel heat of Kudremukh ClosureBangalore, Dec 26, 2005: Halting iron ore mining in Kudremukh region in Karnataka fromDecember 31 is likely to hit the revenues of several government agencies owned by state andthe Centre. As per the Supreme Court judgement on a petition filed by an NGO, KudremukhIron Ore Company Ltd (KIOCL), a government of India enterprise and the country’s largestmining and pelletisation complex, will down shutters on its mining operations in Kudremukhfrom the final day of this year. While KIOCL is under pressure to invest Rs 4,000 crore to shiftits mining base from Kudremukh, government agencies like state electricity board, MangalorePort and income tax department would also be hit due to the closure. Currently, power formining in Kudremukh is being sourced from state-owned Mescom power station in Mangalorethrough high voltage electricity grids. In addition to regular power tariffs of around Rs 180crore per year, KIOCL has been paying Rs 12 crore as wheeling charges to Mescom to bringelectricity from Mangalore to Kudremukh. Of the total power sourced from Mescom, KIOCLhas been using 90% of electricity for its mining at Kudremukh while the remaining 10% isbeing used at Mangalore pellet plant, sources said. From 2006, KIOCL’s power tariff paymentis likely decline by 90% as it will cease mining operations in Kudremukh.

KIOCL exports around 3.5 million tonne pellets and 2 million tonne of ore concentratethrough Mangalore Port Trust every year against the payment of Rs 14 crore. The payment for

39

shipping is expected to decline by 40% as the company is likely to stop exporting concentrateore from next year. The closure of Kudremukh mining operations would also downsize itsincome tax payment by Rs 110 crore this fiscal. The company is investing Rs 200 crore forupgrading the infrastructure in the Mangalore pellet plant to switch over from the currentmagnetite ore based production to hematite ore based technology. KIOCL’s total turnover stoodat Rs 1,853 crore in the fiscal 2004-05 while its net profit touched Rs 650 crore and it paid adividend of Rs 130 crore. The ceasing of mining will lead KIOCL to spend Rs 4,000 croretowards shifting its operation to another mining destination. Simultaneously, the company’srevenue and net profit are expected to decline by 20-30% after the closure of mining atKudremukh.

[Source: http://www.financialexpress.com]

Deve Gowda urges PM to intervene in Kudremukh Mining CaseFormer prime minister and JD(S) leader H D Deve Gowda has sought Prime MinisterManmohan Singh’s personal intervention for continuance of mining operations in Kudremukh,for safety and other reasons.

Former prime minister and JD(S) leader H D Deve Gowda has sought Prime MinisterManmohan Singh’s personal intervention for continuance of mining operations in Kudremukh,for safety and other reasons. Releasing copies of the letter (written to the PM) to the media at apress conference here on Saturday, he said he had appealed to the Prime Minister to advise theofficials concerned in the Law Ministry as well as in the Ministry of Environment and Foreststo file an interim application before the Supreme Court (SC), based on the affidavit filed earlierand to engage the services of Attorney General or Solicitor General for getting an early hearingbefore December 2005 so that the stoppage of mining can be avoided. “The issue needs to bedefended strongly before the Supreme Court so that Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Limited(KIOCL) would be allowed to continue for some more time, till they have an alternative,” theletter stated. The Company was in possession of a mining lease at Kudremukh which was validfor a period of 30 years and its validity expired in 1999.Based on a PIL filed by an NGO, theSC pronounced its judgement on October 30, 2002, that the mining operations at Kudremukhshall continue only up to December 2005.However, the Company filed a petition for directionfor further continuance of mining operations, for safety and other reasons. But the SupremeCourt again directed on September 30, 2005, that no mining is permissible after December 31,2005, and thereafter, the company’s applications will be listed for hearing in January 2006. MrGowda also said that the Ministry of Environment and Forests, filed an additional affidavitbefore the SC

Impact

Stating that about 2,000 direct employees and about 8,000 indirect employees, mostlyfrom Chikmagalur district, will be adversely affected if the KIOCL closes its mining operationsin Kudremukh, Mr Gowda said the KIOCL has been an excellent performer with consistentprofits and has contributed about Rs 400 crore last year to the Government of India exchequerby way of dividend, income tax, etc., and about Rs 300 crore to the State exchequer by way ofroyalty, cess, duties and electricity charges, among others.Mr Gowda also noted thatinfrastructure created over the years, with a replacement value of about Rs 4,000 crore, willbecome redundant, if the company closes its operations. Gowda said in the letter that theCompany should be saved in the interest of the nation and the State and to protect thelivelihood of about ten thousand employees who are either employed directly or indirectly.

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[Source: http://www.deccanherald.com]

New Mines on Uranium MapJamshedpur, Dec. 19, 2005: Two new uranium deposits, one in Karnataka and the other inRajasthan, have come up on the national map. The sites have been identified by the AtomicMineral Division (AMD), a wing of the department of atomic energy. Officials of UraniumCorporation of India Limited (UCIL), Jaduguda, informed a couple of days back that AMD,which undertakes exploration and research activities for uranium mining, has recentlyidentified the new sites at Gulbarga district in Karnataka and Shikar district in Rajasthan. TheAMD will now undertake a feasibility study at both these places on the basis of which uraniummining at the respective places will be taken up.” If the feasibility report of the AMD is apositive one, uranium mining can be carried out in those areas. It shall, however, take quitesome time for the AMD to prepare the feasibility report as several details have to be looked intobefore finalising the report,” UCIL officials informed. About the two new projects that theUCIL has taken up in Meghalaya and Andhra Pradesh, Diwakar Acharya, general manager(mines), UCIL, said: “In Andhra Pradesh, mining operation will be undertaken in two districts— Nalgonda and Cuddapah while West Khasi hills in Meghalaya has been identified formining operations there.”

UCIL secretary P.V. Dubey also spoke about their projects in Jaduguda in EastSinghbhum, where the company has started two new mines at Banduhurang (open cast) andBagjata (underground), while a new processing plant is under construction at Turamdih, about12 km from the city. “Moreover, efforts are also being made to start underground uraniummining at Mahuldih in Seraikela-Kharsawan district for which a public hearing is slated onDecember 20,” the senior UCIL official added. The Mahuldih project will be the seventh suchproject of UCIL in Jharkhand, Dubey said. Acharya, who has been entrusted to look after theMahuldih project, revealed that an environment impact assessment (EIA) report has alreadybeen prepared by Mecon, a Ranchi-based consultant firm. UCIL officials further informed thaturanium extracted from different mines in Jharkhand is utilised in 14 nuclear power reactors forgenerating 2,700 MW of power.

[Source: http://www.telegraphindia.com]

Environmental Clearance for Uranium MiningLok Sabha, December 12, 2005: Ministry of Environment & Forests received a proposal on8th June, 2005 from the Department of Atomic Energy for environmental clearance of theproposed uranium mining project for mining of 1250 tonnes per day of uranium ore atLambapur-Peddagattu in District Nalgonda in Uttar Pradesh. Expert Committee (Mining) hasappraised the proposal in its meeting held in October 2005 and has recommended to theGovernment for grant of environmental clearance subject to stipulating stringent environmentalclearance conditions inter-alia undertaking groundwater modelling studies and obtaining otherrequisite statutory clearances by M/s Uranium Corporation of India Ltd. This information wasgiven by Minister of State for Environment & Forests, Shri Namo Narain Meena in his writtenreply to a question of Shri Madhu Goud Yaskhi in the Lok Sabha, today

[Source: http://pib.nic.in]

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Anti-Mining Lobby misleading innocent People: UCILShillong, 10 Nov 2005: The Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) today came downheavily on ''anti-mining lobby'' for spreading ''unfounded news'' and denied media reports onmining-related health hazards caused to locals at Domiasiat in Meghalaya's West Khasi hillsdistrict. Recently reports said several people had already become victims of uranium mining atDomiasiat. The UCIL issued a statement saying uranium mining at Domiasiat had not yetstarted and termed as ''baseless and malicious'' the reports that exploratory mining had causednumerous ailments to local residents of the area. UCIL Officer on Special Duty F D Rynjahasserted that uranium mining was " not carried out in any part of Meghalaya'' and that in 2000,the UCIL had only expressed its desire to mine at Nongbah Jynrin and Mawthabah villages andnot at Domiasiat. The state government had not given any permission too.''...it is clear that theanti-nuclear lobby is spreading all types of unfounded reports to misguide the innocent people''it said. The Atomic Mineral Directorate (AMD) for Exploration and Research had carried outexploratory mining way back in the early 1990s for pilot plant and laboratory analysis.

Mr Rynjah said tailings and waste rock generated during exploratory mining had been keptfully covered by thick concrete since 1992 and no mining activities had taken place in the area.The mine pits are located near Nongbah Jynrin and Mawthabah villages and the villagers hadnot complained about anyone suffering from radiation or any other diseases. The radiation levelin the area is as good as natural background radiation. It is unbelievable that women andchildren from Phlangdiloin and Phod-umyiap villages would suffer from such diseases anddisorders since they are situated 27 kms from the site whereas Nongbah Jynrin and Mawthabahare only two kms from the mining site, the statement said. The UCIL also informed that it hadwritten to the State Government through the Health Minister for sending a team of medicalspecialists to undertake thorough medical tests on the women and children of the two villagesto verify the facts following the rumours spread by ''vested anti-nuclear lobby''. It said theUCIL's safety record was known to all and that it had received the President's safety Awardthrice besides ISO certification for quality assurance and environmental management system. Italso said that utmost care was taken in all project sites as per international standard specified bythe International Commission on Radiation Protection (ICRP) and regulation prescribed by theAtomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB).

[Source: http://www.newkerala.com]

Greens against Uranium sales to IndiaOctober 21, 2005 : The Greens have urged Prime Minister John Howard to rule out Australiansupport for developing nuclear ties with India.And the Australian Conservation Foundation(ACF) claimed federal government moves to expand uranium exports to both China and Indiawere undermining global efforts to stop nuclear proliferation.The calls came after thegovernment this week said it was open to the idea of China conducting uranium exploration andmining in Australia. The two nations are in the midst of negotiations to draw up a nuclearsafeguards agreement that would allow Australia to export uranium to China.The Agenewspaper reported India had signalled it might pursue closer nuclear ties with Australia as itseeks to expand its domestic nuclear power capacity.Greens energy spokeswoman SenatorChristine Milne said the reported Indian moves were deeply troubling."Granting India anexemption would be tantamount to ripping up the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, paving theway for a significant expansion of nuclear weapons capability and making the world less safe,"she said."It could also smooth the way for Australian uranium sales to India, as flagged by the

42

Greens in parliament last month, particularly given the Australian government's avid supportfor an expansion of uranium exports."

Senator Milne said the world did not need more nuclear power."It is dangerous, pollutingand no solution to climate change," she said.ACF spokesman David Noonan said all Australianuranium inevitably became nuclear waste and potentially fuelled nuclear weapons."Revelationsin the media this week have revealed Australian involvement in proposals and discussions tosell uranium to China and India, both nuclear weapon states, was in direct conflict withinternational disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation laws," Mr Noonan said."The currentrush by the federal government to get uranium out of the ground and shipped overseas ismisguided and deeply destabilising."The government's push for more uranium mines isworking to undermine international attempts to put the brakes on nuclear proliferation andpromote disarmament." Mr Noonan said a senior Chinese general recently threatened the use ofnuclear weapons in any conflict over Taiwan.China has not ratified the Comprehensive TestBan Treaty.He said India had secretly diverted civil nuclear technology to use in developingnuclear weapons and had not signed the fundamental Nuclear Non Proliferation (NPT)Treaty."China, India and other nations need new energy sources but nuclear is not the answer.It is not clean, green, cheap or safe."

[Source: http://www.theage.com.au]

Orissa signs MOUs with 5 Companies for setting up Steel PlantsThe Orissa government has signed five memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with

various private parties for setting up steel plants taking the total number of MOUs for steelplants to 42. The latest five MOUs are…1. Rungta Mines LId - 2 steel plants of 1 m.t.p.a capacity each at Kamando (Sundargarh dist) and Jharband (

Dhenkanal dist) at a cost of As 2,275 crore.2. Stats Steel India (P) LId - 0.50 m.t.p.a plant at Tangi (Cuttack district) at a cost of As 855 crore.3. Jai Balaji Jyothi Steels LId - 0.33 m.t.p.a plant at Tainsarin (Sundargarh dist) at a cost of As 321 crore.4. Brand Alloys LId - 0.27 m.t.p.a plant at Palaspanga (Dist. Keonjhar) with an investment of As 307 crore.5. Eastern Steel & Power LId - 0.25 m.t.p.a at lahandabud (Jharsuguda dist) at a cost of As 254 crore.

Moreover, an MOU signed earlier with Jindal Steel & Power Ltd was revised forincreasing the capacity from 2 m.t.p.a to 6 m.t.p.a. The company proposes to set up abeneficiation plant at Deojhar (Keonjhar dist) and Steel Plant at Angul with a total investmentof Rs 13,135 crore. Bhushan Steel & Strips has earlier signed an agreement .to set up 3 m.t.p.asteel plant at Meramundali in Dhenkanal district.

[Source: Mining Engineers’ Journal, January 2006]

Rs 31,800-crore Steel Projects in PipelineNew Delhi - 27 December, 2005: Indian and multinationalcompanies are announcing fresh investments in the metals sectorat a breakneck pace. Eleven Indian and multinational metalcompanies have already lined up investments of $69.9 billion (Rs31,800 crore) in greenfield and brownfield projects. Theseprojecects are to be implemented in the next four to six yearsand are likely to increase the capacity of the steel industry bya whopping 103 million tonnes. The foreign direct investments insteel sector would come from Mittal Steel, which has planned toinvest $8.7 billion while POSCO would invest $11.3 billion andVedanta $2.7 billion. The Indian firms, which have proposed to

43

invest are Tata Steel ($16.7 billion), Jindal Vijaynagar Steel($11.6 billion), Jindal Steel & Power ($5.3 billion), IspatIndustries ($3.3 billion), Bhushan Steel ($2 billion) andRashtriya Ispat Nigam ($1.9 billion).

The major steel capacity built-up announcement and proposalshave come from Tata Steel (25 million tonnes), Jindal Vijaynagar(22 million tonnes), Mittal Steel (12 million tonnes), JindalSteel & Power (11 million tonnes), POSCO (12 million tonnes),Vedanta (5 million tonnes), Essar Steel (4 million tonnes) andothers (12 million tonnes). Mittal Steel, JSW Steel (JindalVijayanagar), POSCO, Tata Steel, Jindal Steel & Power, Vedanta,Essar Steel and Ispat Industries have announced greenfield steelprojects to add a capacity of total 73.33 million tonnes at aninvestment of $43.4 billion (Rs 19, 750 crore). IspatIndustries, Bhushan Steel and Tata Steel are currentlyimplementing their 6.5 million tonnes expansion programme at acost of $4.1 billion (Rs 1,866 crore). Hindalco has proposed amillion-tonne alumina refinery and 2.60 lakh tonnes of aluminasmelter in Orissa at a capital outlay of $2.4 million. Thecompany has already announced a 3.25 lakh tonne greenfieldalumina smelter project with a capital outlay of $1.7 millon.

Orissa and Jharkhand with natural advantages, such as theavailability of iron ore, bauxite and coal, account for 74percent of new metals sector projects being initiated in India.A research done by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy(CMIE) and Morgan Stanley Research shows that Orissa andJharkhand, two of the richest states in India in terms ofminerals resources, have been the favourite destinations forinvestors.

Key projects in the metals sectorCompany Capacity (Mn tonne) Cost ($ billion)Mittal Steel 12.0 8.7JSW 22.0 11.6POSCO 12.0 11.3Tata Steel 25.0 16.7Jindal Steel 11.0 5.3Vedanta 5.0 2.7Essar Steel 4.0 2.3Rashtriya Ispat 3.6 1.9Ispat Industries 3.0 3.3Bhushan Steel 4.5 2Source: Morgan Stanley Research

[Source: The Business Standard]

India’s Steel hopes: positively goodNovember 28, 2005: The current concerns over prices notwithstanding, spirits are high when itcomes to the future of steel – globally, as also in India. However, planning the future of steelhas been complicated by several unknowns as also by well-known constraints. The unknownsinclude the size of the future steel market. Known challenges are in how to get iron ore

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competitively and develop steel capacity that would stand out in global competition in nouncertain terms. The rush of steel interests in India has been on account of these factors only.Steel producers want secure supply of iron ore. There is reasonable justification for this, aswithout secure supply steel production may just turn out to be uncompetitive as many others incompetition are already endowed with this advantage. Mittal Steel, for example, has alreadyannounced that over 80% of its huge steel operations will depend on its own iron ore by 2010.This is significant because this will take the company yards ahead of others, unless of course itso happens that there is glut of iron ore and the same is sold cheap, making captive mines notworth the bother. Available information and intelligence are not supportive of these conditionsand one is convinced that, if not the winners, those staying in the race must have stable iron oresourcing. But don’t forget, this is fine so long as cost of the mining assets and other costs arewithin acceptable limits. If mines are priced by the market, many such propositions may turnout to be bad deals. India is also being seen as a big market for steel. But the question thatremains in the realm of debate is: how big is that potential? There are simpler ways of using theestablished past relationship between steel consumption and relevant macro variables andcomputing the future values on a linear regression model, on a given growth path of the macrovariables. Interestingly, the results from these simple methods have been largely in line with theactual results. Therefore, one should not hesitate doing the same once again. However, themore difficult issues are related to the larger economic growth and more importantly on thepossible changes in the structure of the economy.

Whether the future growth of the country will see a structural change with competitivemanufacturing leading it with the necessary support from the services and agriculture, or thatthe current run of services sector-led growth will continue with subdued manufacturing, hasdrawn the attention of most of the professional economists and there is clear division amongthem. This issue has large implications on steel prospects. Manufacturing-led growth will meanstronger demand for steel. This will also make way for greater intensity of consumption ofsteel. While emerging conditions in the country strongly point to this transformation, a breakfrom the past, predicting the same in clear terms with necessary quantification has been fairlydifficult. Gut feelings, whims and fancies are all at work. There are so many scenarios one canwork out based on each set of ‘gut feelings’ or ‘whims and fancies’ that results will cover anynumber starting from 80 million tonne to, say, 200 million tonne for 2020. Despite the lack ofclear projections, the industry does not seem to be bothered about this. If steel starts moving outof the developed nations, where will it go? China, India, the CIS, Brazil, or will it get thinlydispersed around the world wherever the market is? There are greater chances that if displacedfrom the developed world, over the coming decades, the industry will find a home in the abovementioned countries, unless the process of globalisation sees a reversal and nations turnprotectionist. Whereas such an outcome is unlikely by current strands of dominant thoughts andthe processes initiated so far, protectionism that has ruled the world of steel (the developedworld mostly) so far is likely see its end soon. Therefore, there are reasons to remain optimisticabout and more focused on India and develop sufficient steel capacities competitively not onlyfor the home market but for the world.

[Source: http://www.financialexpress.com]

Mittal Steel sets foot in IndiaOctober 10, 2005: Mittal Steel Company N.V. (Mittal Steel), the world’s largest steelcompany, on Saturday said that it will invest Rs400bn (US$9bn) for setting up a 12-mn-tons-a-year steel plant in the state of Jharkhand. Mittal Steel signed a Memorandum of Understanding

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(MoU) with the Government of Jharkhand for setting up a mining and steel-making operationin the mineral-enriched eastern state. The company intends to undertake a detailed projectreport to identify location of the steel plant, iron ore and coal mines and water sources. As partof the project, Mittal Steel will also study the possibility of setting up a 2,500 MW power plantbesides setting up townships for its employees. Definitive agreements would be entered intoonce the detailed project report has been completed and found acceptable to both Mittal Steeland the Government of Jharkhand. The project would be developed in two phases of 6-mn-metric-tons each. The first phase is expected to be completed within 48 months. The secondphase will be completed in another 54 months after completion of Phase I.Mittal Steel has alsosigned two additional MoUs, confirming its social commitment to the region. The companywill work closely with the Jharkhand Government to achieve an improvement in both of theseareas.

Commenting on the occasion, Lakshmi N. Mittal, Chairman and CEO Mittal Steel, said,"Steel consumption in India is set to experience considerable growth over the next decade andis therefore a natural market for Mittal Steel to build a production presence. Jharkhand is well-known for its raw material reserves and good infrastructure and is therefore an excellentlocation for setting up this type of greenfield venture”.” We would also be providingconsiderable social and community support to the region. We have been discussing this withthe government in some detail and have agreed to focus on the area of technical education,which is vital for improving and sustaining industrial growth in the region", added Mittal."Ourfocus will now be on completing the Detailed Project Report with a view to startingconstruction on the plant within the next two years", said Mittal.

[Source: http://www.indiainfoline.com]

Jharkhand dents Mittal demandsNew Delhi October 7, 2005: Final MoU to contain timeframe instead of sought concessions.The memorandum of understanding for setting up a 12-million-tonne steel plant in Jharkhand,to be signed on Saturday by the state government and Mittal Steel Company, will incorporatehardly any of the exemptions sought by the world’s largest steel maker. Instead, it will set out aspecific schedule for the project. Mittal Steel has not committed to a deadline so far and hasproposed that project implementation should be revised periodically before meetings of afacilitation committee. “The concessions (the ones that the Mittals are asking for) are notacceptable. In the final MoU, there will be none of the concessions (that were there in the draftMoU). We have also set a timeframe. The first phase must be completed in 48-54 months. Thesame will apply to the second phase,” a Jharkhand government official told Business Standardtoday.

The MoU will neither grant special economic zone (SEZ) status to the plant nor allocatespecific iron ore mines, two key clauses in the draft MoU drawn up in August. “The only thingwe have said is that we may consider SEZ status at a later date for the steel plant. Not formining in any case,” said the official. Mittal Steel has agreed to the revisions. “We have madeit simple. We only want incentives that are given to any mega-project in step with the industrialpolicy of Jharkhand and as permitted by the fiscal rules in India,” said Mittal Steel’s ExecutiveVice-President (Finance) and Corporate Treasurer Sudhir Maheshwari. This was not aclimbdown, he added. “Any agreement is reached after a lot of give and take.” Some of the keyincentives sought by the company, apart from SEZ status, were exemption from all direct taxes(including the minimum alternate tax), Customs duty on import of capital goods, sales tax on

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royalty payments, service tax on import of technology, the works contract tax, and the duty onelectricity produced or purchased. The draft MoU had also talked of reimbursing half of MittalSteel’s contribution to the employees provident fund and employees state insurance, subsidieson interest, on capital investment, and on costs of energy-saving equipment and machines.

The concessions involve the Centre and the state government and have been questioned bythe steel industry, particularly at a time when the Orissa government’s deal with South Korea’sPosco is in the headlines. According to industry players, had Mittal Steel been granted theconcessions, the Centre and the state would have lost thousands of crores of rupees in revenue.

[Source: http://www.business-standard.com]

Coal Mine blast in China kills atleast 68At least 68 workers were killed and 83 others missing after a major explosion in a state-

run coal mine in Harbin in northeast China's Heilongjiang province. Upto 70 miners have beensaved and out of that 48 have been brought out of the mine in the capital city of thenortheastern province. Altogether 221 miners were working underground when the blastoccurred at 9.40 p.m. on 28.11.2005 at Dongfeng coal mine run by the Longmei Mining Co.Ltd.

[Source: Mining Engineers’ Journal, January 2006]

Centre forming strategy for Coal GasificationThe government of India has proposed an inter-ministerial group to develop an

underground coal gasification (UCG) strategy for the country to tap the large deposits of coalreserves that can not be mined. According to estimates by Geological Survey of India, inJanuary 2005, India's coal reserves were at 2,47,846.85 million tonnes (MT) of whichrecoverable reserves are 92,960.15 MT. Recovera_le reserves of lignite are estimated at4,259.68 MT of the total 37,153.90 MT. Through UGC, coal may be converted intocombustible gas insitu and the product - synthetic gas can be brought to the surface to be usedas fuel or chemical feed stock.

In addition there is a huge deposit of lignite-bituminous coal and lignite in the CambayBasin in Gujarat and Barmer Sanchor Basin in Rajasthan which would never be minedconventionally. Insitu underground gasification is the only viable method to tap it.

[Source: Mining Engineers’ Journal, January 2006]

More Land under Prospective MiningThe mining ministry proposes to increase the area for prospective mining for major

minerals to 500 sq.km from 25 sq.km at present only for those companies which conductedinitial surveys under the reconnaissance licence. The ministry also wants to club licencesgranted for preliminary surveys with prospecting licences which will be granted collectively fora maximum of eight years. Those proposals are part of the recommendations made by aninternational committee set up by the ministry. They will now be forwarded to the Hodacommittee for revamping the ministry policy. The ministry also favoured extendingreconnaissance licence to other minerals, even if the original permission was only for onemineral, provided no other company was granted.

[Source: Mining Engineers’ Journal, January 2006]

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Improved Performance of Mining Industry in IndiaDuring 2004-05 India's industrial production grew by an estimated 8.9% and buoyance in

the services sector helped to raise GDP by an estimated 6.9%. Foreign direct investment intothe country trebled to an estimated US $15 billion.

India has estimated itself as the world's largest manufacturing center of cut polisheddiamonds and exports of gems and jewellery are worth US $ 12 billion per annum, withdiamonds alone accounting for US $ 8.6 billion. It is also estimated that atleast As 100 billionworth of diamonds are sold in the domestic market each year and this market is growing bymore than 15% year -on-year. Eleven out of every twelve stones set in jewellery worldwide arefrom India.

India produces about 12 tpa of gold, mostly as a byproduct of copper smelting as perfollowing details.....

2004Birla Copper (Now a unit of Hindalo industries 5.5tSterlite Industries (India) 5.2tHutti Gold Mines Ltd proposes to expand to 3.5 t/a 1.5t

Total 12.2t

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Production of principal minerals and metals is given below. ...

2002 - 03 2003 - 04 2004 - 05*Coal (Mt) 300 350 385Crude oil (Mt) 31.7 32.0 35.5Iron ore (Mt) 72.0 73.0 74.5Finished Steel (Mt) 36.5 34.5 36.0Aluminium ('000t) 628.0 817.3 842.0Copper ('000t) 317.0 396.0 390.0Primary Zinc ('000t) 207.0 254.6 240.0Lead ('000t) 50.0 71.0 60.0

* Estimated[Source: Mining Engineers’ Journal, January 2006]

Bauxite Mining in Vizag Dist will deplete Eco System: ScientistVisakhapatnam, December 31, 2005: Bauxite ores act as protective caps for the rich landmassand springs that occur below the laterite-bauxite rocks and blasting these caps for bauxitemining will completely deplete the eco-system, according to noted earth scientist SreedharRamamurthy. Highlighting the adverse impact on nature from the proposed bauxite mining inthis district, he told a one-day workshop organised by 'Mines, Minerals and People' (MM&P), anational alliance of mining struggle groups and communities in India, that destroying theseprotective caps through mining would deplete the eco-system. The Andhra PradeshGovernment had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the private sector JindalGroup for Rs 9500-crore bauxite mining and smelter project to be jointly taken up by theprivate company and AP Mineral Development Corporation. The project had attracted severecriticism due to its adverse effects on the eco-system and large displacement of tribals living inthe area. ''Employment rates in the mining sector have decreased and the project will not createa large number of jobs as claimed by the state government,'' he said.

CPI (M) MLA Demudu from Chintapalli, under which mandal the bauxite mining is to betaken up, expressed strong opposition to the project and spoke of the injustice, the displacementand the impoverishment that such a project would lead to. He said the leaders in the presentCongress government had opposed this project before they came to power but made a 'U turn'once they came to power. Former Energy Secretary EAS Sarma urged the tribal representativesand leaders to protect their constitutional rights and stand by the people by not giving theirconsent to such projects. He hoped that the Tribal Advisory Committee would exercise its rightto defend the scheduled areas from being given away to such projects. He said the tribal peoplewould lose their status and legal rights once they were removed from the scheduled area. Mrs.Bhanumathi from Samata, an NGO working for the welfare of tribals in the state, spoke aboutthe costs that communities pay directly and indirectly and how social equity and justice werenot considered as important parameters for economic development. Representatives from theaffected communities gave a call for a strong people's movement to oppose the project. Severallocal organizations like AP Girijana Sangham, Adivasi Mitra, Dhimsa Network, CrynetCollective, Laya, CARE, Action-Aid and political parties like CPI and CPI (M) alsoparticipated in the workshop.

[Source: http://news.webindia123.com]

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Coal Blocks earmarked for CIL might go to othersNew Delhi 30 December, 2005: The government plans tooperationalise an emergency coal production plan to increase thecapacity of existing coal mines. It also plans to give away coalblocks originally earmarked for Coal India Limited (CIL) toother sectors such as power, steel and cement to augment coalproduction as CIL, is already operating at optimal capacity. Ineffect, this would bring in larger number of players in the coalmining sector. This comes even as power plants, which complainedof “ critical” stocks of coal all through the year, earlierthis week reported adequate stocks that would last between 16and 47 days. Over the year production of coal at CIL grew at arate of 6% the power sector imported 5 million tonnes (MT) ofcoal and hydel power production was also increased to tackle thecoal crunch.

With the Public Investment Board (PIB) also approving anemergency coal production plan earlier this week, an additionalinvestment of Rs.2,500 crore in 16 existing coal blocks isheaded for a final nod from the Cabinet Committee on EconomicAffairs (CCEA). The emergency plan was drawn up in response tothe power sector’s warning that the 2011-12 coal productiontarget of 525 MT would fall short of the requirement by 70 MT.The plan paves the way to add 71 MT more by stepping upcapacities of existing coal blocks. Mr. P.C. Parakh, Secretary ,Coal who will retire by year-end told ET, adding “ the powersector has never had it so good.” In fact, his department isnow examining a proposal from the National Thermal PowerCorporation (NTPC) seeking six coal blocks with reservesexceeding 200 MT. The blocks were originally earmarked for CIL,which has 289 blocks at its disposal to achieve 500 MT annualproduction up to 2029-30. At a recent meeting at the PMO, aproposal was mooted to give away CIL blocks that would not beoperationalised in the 11th and 12th Plan period to otherconsumers. It was felt that 200 blocks would suit CIL’srequirement to produce 500 MT annually upto 2029-30. CIL couldalways explore and add on more blocks to fill futurerequirements, instead of siting on the blocks for 10-20 years,it was argued.

[Source: The Economic Times]

Mineral Rights: States need Centre's permission in some casesNew Delhi, December 23, 2005: Coal and Mines Minister Sisram Ola today said states werefree to grant mineral concessions but only after attaining prior permission from the Centre for afew minerals, including iron ore. In a statement in the Rajya Sabha on a calling attentionmotion of Mr Dipankar Mukherjee and others, Mr Ola said the states were required to seek theCentre's permission for the few minerals. He, however, said investments in mines and mineral-based industry for grant of mineral concession to applicants could not be the sole basis for adecision.’ Iron ore lease may be granted for setting up a steel plant. However, there is noprovision of linkage under the law,'' he said. As per the National Mineral Policy, 1993, bothexport of minerals and value addition within the country were valid activities and the aimshould be to strike a balance between the two in the interests of the country and mining

50

industry. The Government has already constituted a High Level Committee under theChairmanship of Member, Planning Commission, to review the National Mineral Policy andrecommend possible amendments in the Law. Allaying apprehension that production of ironore was on the decline in the country, Mr Ola said surveys by the Geological Survey of India(GSI) revealed that there was no dearth of the mineral vital for iron and steel industries.Replying to the debate, Mr Ola said frequent surveys by the GSI had revealed that both reservesand production of iron ore were increasing. Conceding that some factories in both the privateand public sectors were facing shortage of minerals, the Minister said the Mines Policy did notprevent transportation of minerals from one state to another.

Referring to a suggestion by some Members that revenues of mineral-producing statesshould be increased, he said it would be discussed at the next meeting of the Ministry. ''All thesuggestions put forward by the Members of the House will be discussed threadbare beforeformulating new directives,'' he assured the House. Earlier, a BJP member said the Centre wasnot paying full attention to the ministry. In support of his argument, he contended that theministry was yet to get its Advisory Committee. The Member also opposed the reported moveto privatise NALCO in Orissa, saying it was a profit-making public sector undertaking.’ Whilethe private sector is welcome in the mining sector, profit-making PSUs should not beprivatised,'' the Member said.

[Source: http://news.webindia123.com]

Minister for Proper Rehab & Resettlement PolicyBhubaneswar, Dec. 19, 2005: Steel and mines minister Mr Padmanabha Behera today stressedthe need to formulate an appropriate rehabilitation and resettlement policy for the displacedfamilies Addressing a function organised by the Nabakrushna Choudhury Centre forDevelopment Studies here today, the minister said that Orissa, endowed with rich naturalresources, had to evict many people from their land to accommodate the industrial units to tapthe resource available in the state. Entrepreneurs were coming to the state to exploit mineralresources through value addition. But the most important aspects – that is – rehabilitation andresettlement, peripheral development and infrastructure support – are not taken care ofadequately, he observed while suggesting that those aspects should be parts of project reports.Describing the displacement as a social liability, Mr Behera said that most important aspect ofthis was the formulation of an appropriate rehabilitation and resettlement policy acceptable toall those who were evicted from their dwelling place.

[Source: http://www.thestatesman.net]

Bright days ahead for Mining SectorDec. 8, 2005: With the mining industry in India poised to play a crucial role in meeting theenergy needs of the country, the future of mining engineers in India seems to be bright. If theIITs take initiative to attract, develop and retain the best talents, Indian engineers willcontribute in a big way in making the mining industry the most competitive in the world,observed Mr TK Chatterjee of Dipak Fertilisers and Petrochemicals Corporation Limited, Pune.Mr Chatterjee was delivering his keynote address at the three-day international symposium of‘Advances in Mining Technology and Management’, organised by the IIT Kharagpur’s miningengineering department last week. In order to lure the best talents to take up miningengineering, IITs can make presentations at class XI and XII so that the students can make theirchoices at the time of joining colleges as there are openings for mining engineers in Australia

51

suffering from shortages, he pointed out. India’s greatest shortage has been felt in oil, forcingthe country to spend most of the foreign exchanges on purchasing oil. This will aggravate if oilconsumption (presently 34 per cent) continues to grow at such high rates in the coming years.The most important, practical and economically viable substitute for oil and gas is coal.

After the first oil shock of 1973, there was much talk of how to reduce the country’sdependence on imported oil and it was stressed the need to maximise the use of coal reserves ofthe country which were thought to be sufficient for at least 300 years. But over the years, Indiajoined the world race for oil and gas forgetting country’s coal reserves, he said. As per GSIestimates of 2005, India’s proven coal reserves are 92.9 billion tons and the total of inferredand indicated reserves are 154.9 billion tons bringing the total reserves to 247.8 billion tons.Yet, the annual production of around 400 million tons is inadequate to meet the needs of powerstations and steel plants forcing to import even steam coal to the tune of over 10 million tons tokeep the power stations running. However, at the 2005 Coal Summit held in New Delhirecently, the Planning Commission has indicated that a comprehensive energy policy will betaken up when a major thrust will be given on coal. This will put major challenges before thecoal mining industry — quantitative, technological as well as competitive, Mr Chatterjee said.The IIT director, Prof SK Dube said that the department has recently introduced a five-yeardual degree programme in safety engineering and disaster management in mines. Thesymposium was attended by over 150 delegates across the world including the USA, Australia,South Korea, France, Romania, Poland, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia. A total of 115papers were presented at the conference.

[Source: http://www.thestatesman.net]

Tribes in Orissa protest against Mining ProjectBhubaneshwar, Dec 6, 2005: In a rare public appearance, hundreds from the primitiveDongria Kondh tribe of Orissa took to streets yesterday protesting against setting up of amining project in their region. Dressed in traditional outfits and carrying weapons, the tribals,one of the most primitive in the state, protested in the way they know best-beating drums,singing and dancing, outside the State Assembly. The tribes said the project was anti-peopleand would harm the ecological balance.” We have no proper source of livelihood, no land tocultivate. These trees are our life. How will we survive if the trees are destroyed?” Harini, atribal woman, said. “We don’t have any land to cultivate. We solely depend on Nyamgiri Hills.We depend upon the forest products. The project will destroy everything,” Mania, anothertribal, added. The project is being jointly undertaken by the state government and a privatemining firm and will involve the displacement of at least 120 tribal settlements. Stateauthorities, however, claimed that only a few tribal sects were opposing the project and thatmost others had accepted the rehabilitation packages being offered.” We have undertakenrehabilitation package by Vedanta. There’s nothing to oppose as such. Most of the people ofKalahandi want the plant. It’s only few with vested interests who are against it,” Behera said.Vedanta Resources Plc is a holding company for a diversified metals and mining company withits principal operations located throughout India. Living in extremely penurious conditions, theonly saviours for them are the woods and the small plantations they use for agriculture. Thetribals are mostly nomads and keep moving within the region’s sprawling Nyamgiri Hills.

[Source: http://www.newkerala.com]

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Dr. M.P.Narayanan Elected as Vice Chairman of World Mining Congress (WMC)New Delhi, December 6, 2005: Dr M.P.Narayanan, former chairman Coal India Limited (CIL)has been elected the Vice chairman of the World Mining Congress (WMC) a global bodymining engineers and experts headquartered in Poland. Dr. M.P. Narayanan who is a Memberof the International Organising Committee of the WMC was elected unanimously as ViceChairman of the WMC at a meeting held in Tehran in Iran recently. His name was proposed byShri S.K.Choudhary, Chairman of the Indian National Committee. Prof. Ajay Gosh who wastill recently the Vice Chairman of the WMC was unanimously nominated as Hon. Member ofthe WMC in appreciation of his past services to WMC. There were 165 delegates from Indiawho attended the Conference including State Ministers from Orissa, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh,Andhra Pradesh etc along with their Secretaries, Mining. The President of Iran whileinaugurating the Conference made a special mention about the strong Indian contingent. Indiaalso effectively participated in the Congress by presenting important papers and in theexhibition where many leading Indian Companies had their stalls. A decision to set up regionaloffice of WMC in New Delhi India was also held during the meet. It was also decided to have ameeting of the International Organising Committee of WMC along with International CoalConference to held in New Delhi during November, 2006

[Source: http://press-releases.techwhack.com]

CRISIL upgrades Rating of Coal IndiaNovember 30, 2005: CRISIL has upgraded its rating on Coal India Limited’s (CIL’s) long-term debt programme. This upgrade primarily reflects the company’s improved financial riskprofile. Robust cash accruals have helped the company to reduce its debt, and therebystrengthen its capital structure and debt protection measures. These accruals arise from asignificant growth in the company’s operating income, and operating profit margin,underpinned by increasing productivity and an uptrend in coal prices. CIL has considerablyenhanced its productivity through increased outsourcing of key activities to third parties andgreater mechanization. The ratings continue to reflect the company’s dominant status in theIndian coal industry: CIL along with its eight subsidiaries accounts for nearly 80 per cent ofIndia’s total coal consumption. This underlines the company’s strategic importance for theIndian economy. The deregulation of the coal industry, and private participation in coal mining,are not likely to dilute this dominant status in the medium term. CIL does not face a majorthreat from private sector because of its low pricing of coal, and high project gestation indeveloping new mines. It does not face threat from coal imports as well, because of inadequatehandling facilities at domestic ports and insufficient rail facilities. CRISIL believes that CILwill be a major beneficiary of the growing demand for coal, mainly for power sector, in India.These rating strengths are partly offset by the company’s tax-inefficient corporate structure,which continues to constrain its net profits. Moreover, CIL continues to be exposed to socio-political issues associated with the Indian coal industry.

[Source: http://www.indiainfoline.com]

National Mineral Policy Review Committee yet to Submit ReportNew Delhi, November 28, 2005: Planning Commission has set up a high-level committee toreview the National Mineral Policy to encourage the public and private sector investments inmineral exploration, Minister of State for Mines, Dr Dasari Narayana Rao today informed theRajya Sabha. The Committee has yet to submit its recommendations, he said in a written reply.

53

Replying to a question on mining projects on forest land, Dr Rao said upto November 24, 2005,137 proposals have been cleared by the Government and about 9722.77 hectares of land hasbeen diverted for the purpose. He further said that more information is being collected and willbe laid on the Table of House. Under Section 5(1) of the Mines and Minerals (development &Regulation) Act, 1957, only an Indian national or a company registered in India can be granteda reconnaissance permit, prospecting licence or mining lease for exploration or mining ofminerals, he said.

[Source: http://news.webindia123.com]

Another Hurdle added in Mining Sector PolicyKolkata/New Delhi, November 06, 2005: As the high-level committee to review theNational Mineral Policy and suggest amendments to the Mines and Minerals Development andRegulation (MMDR) Act, 1957, headed by Planning Commission member Anwarul Hoda getsdown to work, the vexed issue of governments of mineral-rich states insisting on value additionwithin the state as a precondition for granting mining concessions is occupying centrestage.Unfortunately, it is deflecting attention from a far more serious issue facing the mineral sector -the complicated rules and procedures and the huge delay in projects, which is putting severalprivate and foreign investors off. Around 1996, points out R K Sharma, secretary-general of theFederation of Indian Mineral Industries (FIMI), seven of the world’s top mining companieswere present in India, including Rio Tinto, Broken Hill Properties and Billiton (now BHPBilliton), De Beers and Phelps Dodge. Only the first three are still present, Phelps Dodge beingthe last to pull out six months back because of inordinate delays on its chromite plant project inJharkhand. Though the Centre has approved 188 reconnaissance permits, covering over 2.54lakh sq km spread over Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka,Maharashtra, Orissa, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, there has been no instance of areconnaissance permit being converted into a mining lease, thanks to the extremely tortuousprocesses involved (see box for an indicative list). The entire process takes between three andfour years, says Sharma, against a little over a year in Australia and Canada. Flowchartsprepared by FIMI show far more complicated procedures to get reconnaissance permit,prospecting licence and mining lease.

An application for a prospecting licence has to pass through at least 77 desks of variousgovernment offices, with the time spent on each ranging from one to five days to above 20days. In addition, there are 34 steps that need to be taken for acquiring forest land and over 20steps for getting environmental clearance (with no guarantee that the clearance will be given) aswell as public hearings before the state pollution control boards. But the brouhaha over value-addition by mineral-rich states cannot be wished away. The latest victim to fall prey to such apolicy - dubbed as ‘iron ore fundamentalism’ by steel companies - is been Jindal Steel’splanned integrated steel plant in West Bengal, linked to the iron ore proposed to be mined inJharkhand.

West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya has held three rounds of talks withhis counterpart in Jharkhand, Arjun Munda, pleading the case of the Jindal steel project and hasalso appealed to the Union steel ministry. But neither Jharkhand, Orissa or Chhattisgarh - threestates with huge iron ore reserves - appear willing to see reason. The same issue had beenraised when Korean steel major Pohang Steel Company (Posco) decided to set up its $12-billion, 3 million-tonne steel project in Orissa. Officials at Tata Steel, SAIL and Ispat Industrieshave pointed out that the location of a plant should be a commercial decision. Sharma points

54

out that it makes economic sense to process some minerals and metals, like gold, closer to themine, because of the low content in the ore. However, because of the high content of iron andbauxite in the ore, steel and aluminium manufacturers don’t mind transporting the ore longdistances to their plants. The buzz in the mining industry and the government is that some steelcompanies are themselves behind this condition, because it gives them monopoly over the ironore reserves in the state where they have operations. Captive mining of iron ore is far cheaperthan buying from the market - the price difference can be as much as Rs 1,700 per tonne. Thenoble intentions behind the value-addition stipulation - employment generation within the state- rings a bit hollow since the country’s total iron ore mining capacity — 130-140 million tonnesa year — is far more than what is consumed domestically (see table). Indeed, there has been a54% rise in iron ore exports during April-July 2005, over the same period last year.

That’s because exports are far more lucrative than domestic sales. Demand from Chinesesteel plants, with aggregate installed capacities of 300 million tonnes, have pushed upinternational prices of iron ore fines to stratospheric levels of around $70 per tonne (f.o.b), farabove what any mine owner can hope to realise from domestic sale. But with the issue beingpoliticised, clearly, this is going to be an extremely ticklish issue. The National Mineral Policy,says Sharma, currently concentrates only on regulations, but should now focus on developmentof the minerals sector. Clearly, the Hoda committee has its task cut out.

[Source: http://dnaindia.com]

Jharkhand to set up apex Technical UniversityNovember 03, 2005: The Jharkhand government has decided to set up a technical universitywhich would co-ordinate and monitor the working of all the existing engineering, polytechnicsand other technical institutions in the state. The proposed university would be located atMosabani in East Singhbhum district. Vacant land was available there after the ailing the publicsector Hindustan Copper Ltd (HCL) moved out. The Jharkhand government recentlyreposssessed the vacant land allotted to HCL many years ago. Initially, the state governmentplanned to build a police training centre there. Later, the proposal for the technical universitywas developed by the planners in the science and technology department. When the plannerssought land from the state's home department for the proposed technical university, it wasdecided to use the part of the land for the university and the rest for the police academy. Anofficial source told Business Standard that the proposed technical university would be built onabout 20 acres. The rest of the land would be used for setting up the police training centre.

Source said the proposed university would be financed by the state government and wouldenjoy full autonomy. It would be controlling, regulating and supervising all the existingengineering, polytechnics and other technical institutions in the state. He said the proposeduniversity would follow the guidelines of the All India Council of Technical Education(AICTE) and other appropriate authorities in the field of technical education. The source saidthe working pattern, status, rules and regulations for the proposed university would be finalisedafter detailed study of such existing apex technical institutions in the country. In a parallelmove, Tata Steel recently adopted an initiative to assist the Jharkhand government to trainnearly 30,000 junior technicians. The company would help the state in strengthening andrenovating the state-run polytechnics and industrial training institutes to produce 30,000qualified technical persons. At present, Jharkhand had nine polytechnics, three mininginstitutes, and 20 industrial training institutes. These institutions produced 3,500 technicians intotal every year.

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[Source: http://www.business-standard.com]

SAIL back with crores for more Coal - Upgrade of two IISCO Mines in Dhanbadand new Mining on Drawing BoardJamshedpur, Oct 27, 2005: Steel Authority of India (SAIL) continues to make investments inthe mining sector in Jharkhand.SAIL has now decided to pump in Rs 1,000 crore more toexpand three coalmines of the Indian Iron and Steel Company (IISCO) to enhance coalproduction. Of these three coalmines, two are located in the Dhanbad district of the state. Theannouncements today came in the footsteps of its previous plans made nearly a year ago, toinvest to the tune of nearly Rs 2,000 crore to boost iron ore production at the IISCO managedChiriya and Gua mines in West Singhbhum. IISCO, a subsidiary of SAIL, is presently in theprocess of being merged with the parent company. Some time back, the Centre had announcedthe merger of IISCO with SAIL. IISCO’s two coalmines in the state are located at Chasnala andJitpur areas of Dhanbad district. The other IISCO coalmine is based at Ramnagar in Kulti, WestBengal. “SAIL’s major investments in the coalmines shall be made to upgrade the coalmines inJharkhand. The coalmine at Ramnagar is a small one compared to the two mines located in theJharkhand state,” sources informed The Telegraph.

SAIL sources added that the public sector giant has planned to boost the coal productionof the three mines from the present 0.4 million tonnes to one million tonne per annum. “Theexpansion would take place phase-wise at Chasnala, Jitpur and Ramnagar,” SAIL officials said,adding that the public sector plant has plans to increase the production of coal in these threemines by 2011-12. Senior SAIL officials said that a team of mining experts from Russia hasbeen engaged to chalk out the expansion programme for Chasnala. “Although Chasnalacoalmines have rich deposits of the mineral, mining in this location is difficult, mainly due todifferent technical reasons. The experts shall carry out an extensive study of the Chasnala mineand suggest to the company officials various measures and the use of different sophisticatedmachinery to undertake mining,” an IISCO official stated. It was also learnt that steps are beingtaken to start mining in Tarsa area near Chasnala. “The Tarsa area, too, has vast deposits ofcoal. Although that zone is under the lease area of the company, there has been no miningactivity in that zone so far. But the company has decided to start mining in that area also,”sources informed. The chief of corporate communication of IISCO, Bhaskar Kumar, admittedthat SAIL had planned to make investments in the IISCO coalmines to increase production.“But the quantum of investments have not been decided yet. The proportion of investmentswould depend on the suggestions of the experts,” Kumar added. But insiders of SAIL said thatthe state-owned steel company has definite plans to make investments to the tune of Rs 1,000crore to expand IISCO’s coalmines. Recently, the SAIL chairman, V.S. Jain, visited IISCO’sunit and held discussions about the expansion programme. IISCO officials even made adetailed presentation to Jain on how to undertake the expansion exercise,” SAIL officialsadded.

[Source: http://www.telegraphindia.com]

Montek gets it WrongZero import duties highly distortionary

October 24, 2005: Planning Commission chief Montek Singh Ahluwalia wants zero-dutyimports of coal and crude oil, to shore up supplies, rev up efficiencies and realign price, etc.The result would be just the opposite. Nil duty on some imports would merely mean a wholly

56

avoidable policy of discretion, of playing favourites and picking winners. Instead, surely, whatwe need is low, uniform tariffs across sectors. Mr Ahluwalia says duties are usually policyconsiderations, not a revenue issue. Actually, in high-volume sectors like oil and gas, duties dohave clear revenue implications. Further, slashing the duty on crude to nil while keeping thatfor oil products unchanged, would further distort the duty regime with needlessly excessiveprotection for oil products. High effective tariff walls imply much scope for padded, monopolyprices and unearned rents. Already, the expert panel on energy of the Planning Commission hasexpressly called for doing away with the duty differential between crude and products. Theexisting duty on crude needs to remain pegged at 5%, while that for products ought to behalved to the same level as well. This would bring down the extant high levels of effectiveprotection for petro-products in India, wholly unjustified given the quite minimal value addedin refining.

As for coal, we do need to continue with the existing rate of 5% duty, for balance. Zero-duty imports may not really boost supplies, given the infrastructural bottlenecks in sourcingcoal from overseas. In any case, given the moribund finances of the power sector, the mainconsumer of coal, there would be precious little scope for realigning domestic coal prices withinternational rates without root and branch power sector reforms. Mr Ahluwalia has, rightly,called for promptly ending the public sector monopoly on coal mining and evacuation. It has,for long years, led to a huge investment backlog and growing shortages too, despite the fact thatwe have one of the highest reserves anywhere. Clearly, in coal, our most abundant fuel source,we can no longer sit on our haunches.

[Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com]

Central Scanner on Illegal MiningRanchi, Oct. 23, 2005: 2005 Bad days are ahead for illegal miners in the state, as the Unionmines ministry is all set to crack the whip on the unlawful business. At a meeting called by theUnion mines ministry in Delhi on October 25 to discuss the growth of illegal mining,Jharkhand mines secretary A.K. Singh said is expected to come up with suggestions to preventillegal mining of coal and iron in this state. Singh told The Telegraph the suggestions willinclude empowerment of the deputy commissioners to dispose of seized illegal coal, vehiclesand equipment used and also endowing the state’s mining officials with special executivepowers to take action against those caught in illegal mining or sale of illegal coal. Task forcesat the state and district levels have been set up and the state will install weighbridges andcomputers and make weighing compulsory so that excess coal is not transported, Singh said.

Welcoming the initiative of the Union mines ministry on illegal mining, the state officialssaid: “Most of the labourers working in illegal mines live closer to the coal mines. Besides,poverty and the lack of employment compels them to take up the job, and despite the risksinvolved, they enter the abandoned mines to extract coal for a pittance.” Each labour gets paidin ratio to coal extracted by him and a “good worker” gets paid around Rs 100 to Rs 150 for aday’s work, the sources said. But, tragically, whenever a miner dies in accident in the mines,the mafia’s men whisk away his body, so that the families of the victims of illegal mining aresaved from the police, the sources said. It happened even in the illegal mining accident atRajrappa on September 29. Some bodies of the dead workers were whisked away and slippersand shoes were removed from the accident site even before the rescue operations could getunderway.J.N. Singh, former director in Coal India’s Western Coalfields Limited said after theSeptember 29 accident: “No one is addressing the real problems. Instead, some FIRs are filed

57

and then the illegal mining game continues to exist.” Singh is now the secretary of Coal MinesRetired Executives Association. The sources said the authorities, while taking action against theillegal miners, should keep in mind another important aspect of the whole affair: “the nexusbetween the coal mafia, police, politicians and the coal officials, which needs to be brokenurgently”.

[Source: http://www.telegraphindia.com]

Developing Fuel from Coal AlternativeRanchi, October 22, 2005: With fuel prices touching a new high with each passing day, Indianscientists are working day-night to develop alternative sources of fuel. The Central MinePlanning And Design Institute (CMPDI) located in Ranchi in Bihar, is examining thecommercial feasibility of using coal as a viable source for extraction of petrol. Scientists ofCMPDI are trying to discover the most suitable variety of coal available for the extraction ofpetrol. One variety of coal has been identified in Assam so far, which is suitable for thepurpose." Experiments have proved that the coal of Assam is very good for hydro carbonextractions. They contain lots of Liptinites as compared to other coals in Australia andEuropean countries," said H.K. Mishra, a Scientist at CMPDI. The scientist fraternity is hopefulthat with the commercialisation of such a project, the country would also save billions ofdollars, which it spends on importing oil. A substantial amount of the Gross Domestic Product(GDP) is earmarked for the import of crude oil and petroleum-based products. Diesel accountsfor about 40 per cent of the refined products sold in India. The country imports 70 per cent ofits crude oil requirement for its 17 refineries that can process 2.3 million barrels per day. TheSasol underground coalmines are the biggest underground coal-mining complex in the worldproducing 34 million tons of coal annually, which is converted into fuels and chemicals.Almost 31 per cent of South African fuel consumption is made available with this method.

[Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com]

Ahluwalia favours De-Nationalization of Coal SectorOctober 20, 2005: Planning Commission Deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia onWednesday favoured de-nationalizing of the coal sector and opening it for private investment.He also advocated for 0% import duty on coal and crude oil.” I am in favour of zero per centimport duty on coal and crude oil if there is no argument for protection," Ahluwalia has beenquoted as saying. Referring to coal as a primary energy source of the country in view of thescarcity in availability of oil and gas, he said the domestic coal prices should be aligned withthe international price regime. While addressing the inaugural session of the 'coal summit', hesaid, "Internationally, domestic prices are always aligned with the international prices. It has tobe done here also. Maybe not immediately, but sometime later as there would be huge deficitwhich I do not think the Finance Ministry would be willing to accommodate in the budget.” Iknow, domestic players may not be happy with the end of the protection but there is norationale to continue with it," he added. He further said this would also put pressure on thedomestic producers and a reduced import duty would help bring more efficiency to the sector,besides stabilizing prices as "duties are not generally a policy consideration but a revenueconsideration."

[Source: http://www.indiainfoline.com]

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India Coal Summit-2005 on 19th-20th Oct in New Delhi October 17, 2005: Coal, the most important fossil fuel in India is vital for its energy security.Coal, presently meeting the bulk of (60%) India’s energy requirement is affordable, reliable,abundantly available and safe to transport. Future economic growth critically depends on thelong-term availability of coal in ever increasing quantities. Indian economy is on the top swingwith growth rate clocking over 6% annually and is expected to reach higher levels. In order tosustain such a high growth rate there is an urgent need to increase the supply of energy in thecoming decades. Considering the limited reserve potentiality of petroleum and natural gas, eco-conservation restriction on hydel projects and geo-political perception of nuclear power, coalwill continue to occupy the centre stage of India’s energy scenario. With hard coal reservesaround 246 billion tones, of which 92bn tones are proven, Indian coal offers a unique eco-friendly fuel source to domestic market for the next century and beyond. Since 1990, coalconsumption has increased at a rate of around 5% per year. The current consumption of coal inIndia is 360 MMt out of which 75% is being consumed for power generation. The electricpower generation capacity in India is planned to double in the coming decade, bulk of whichwill be coal based. The coal demand is expected to increase from the current 360 MMt per yearto 617 MMt at the end of the XIIth five year plan (2016-17).

In order to meet the stupendous growth, there is need to draw a sustainable roadmap for itsgrowth firming up its requirement in fiscal, technological and environmental areas. So far,public sectors had been contributing almost all the requirement of coal. Attempts to bring inprivate sector over the last decade have not made much head way leading to significant growthof coal imports. Against this backdrop, The India Energy Forum, the Mining Geological &Metallurgical Institute of India and Indian Coal Forum are organizing the India Coal Summit-2005 to address the critical issues for increasing indigenous coal availability in the country. Theobjective is to focus attention on the Key Development Issues impacting the pace ofdevelopment of coal sector in India. To discuss ways for meeting the challenges ofcompetitiveness in coal sector through innovative approaches in management practices,application of technology, environment protection. The Summit will also catalogue. Initiativesrequired for overcoming the impediments and increasing the Indian & Foreign investment inthe coal Industry.

Key Issues:

The Summit will discuss Key Issues impacting the sector including Policy Framework,Exploration and Conservations, Technical Options for mining industry both underground andopencast, washing and beneficiation, coal gasification, CBM, Environmental and Social issues,Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policies, musters perspectives equipment availability andutilization, consumers perspectives, research and development, safety and training.

[Source: http://www.indiainfoline.com/]

Steps to ensure Safety in Coal MinesFriday, October 07, 2005: Coal mining is considered world over as a hazardous profession.With constant stress upon safety, there has been a steady improvement in safety performanceover the years. The number of fatal accidents in coal mines in the country has come down from222 in 1975 to 90 in 2004. Fatalities have come down from 664 to 99 during the same period.In case of Coal India Limited (CIL), the fatality rate which was 2.62 per million tonne of coalproduction and 0.52 per three lakh man shifts in the year 1975 has been brought down to 0.22

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and 0.20 respectively in the year 2004. Number of fatalities has come down from 105 in 2001to 70 in 2004. In respect of Singareni Collieries Company Limited, fatalities have come downfrom 25 in 2001 to 14 in 2004. In the current year, 54 persons have been killed in accidents tillthe end of July in respect of CIL and 9 case of Singareni. Safety has been integrated intoprocess of coal mining and plants have institutional arrangement to keep vigil and monitor allaspects of safety in coal mines at various levels. Participation of workers' representatives isensured at all levels of safety monitoring. The Government is promoting a number of otherinitiatives to promote safety awareness. These are : Conference on Safety in mines, Workers'participation in safety management, tripartite and bipartite reviews at various levels, training ofwork force, observance of safety weeks and safety campaigns and National Safety Awards. Toreduce accidents in underground mines, modern technologies are being adopted. These includeproviding scientific roof support systems, increased use of roof bolting and roof stitchingmethods, introduction of modern mechanized drilling machines, mechanization of loadingoperations through introduction of side discharge loaders, load haul dumpers to reduceexposure of workers to mining hazards and introduction of highly capital intensivecomputerized continuous mine environmental tele-monitoring system.

[Source: http://pib.nic.in]

SAIL to help BCCL Upgrade MineKolkata, October 4, 2005: Bharat Coking Coal Ltd (BCCL), a Coal India subsidiary, has tiedup with Steel Authority of India Ltd for funding mechanisation in its underground Moonidihmine to boost production of coking coal. “Funds of over Rs 300 crore have tied up with Sail forinduction of two powered support long wall face in the Moonidih mine,” BCCL chairman-cum-managing director Mr Partha S Bhattacharyya told us here. In the first phase Sail would provideRs 166 crore and Rs 145 crore would be given by the steel major in the second, he said. Theproduction of 1.2 million tonne of coking coal from Moonidih mine would be supplied to Sail,he said. Global tenders have been floated for induction of the first package by 2007-08, he said.Talks were also underway with Sail and Tata Steel for developing Kapuria block throughunderground mining as a joint venture, the BCCL chief said. Sail has also confirmed that thecompany was holding talks with BCCL for developing the mining block to ensure supply ofcoking coal for its steel plants. With rapid increase in the prices of imported coking coal sincelast year, BCCL, he said, had leveraged this opportunity to internalise a higher price for itswashed coking coal supplies to the steel sector. Given the condition prevailing in the market forimported coal, Sail and BCCL have agreed to differentially price the prime washed coking coaland create for it a margin of around 22 per cent over medium washed coking coal.

[Source: http://www.thestatesman.net]

Environment & Forests Minister’s Statement on the outcome of Climate ChangeNegotiations held in Montreal, CanadaDecember 20, 2005: The following is the statement made by Thiru A. Raja, UnionEnvironment & Forests Minister, in the Parliament on the outcome of Climate ChangeNegotiations held in Montreal, Canada: “The 11th Meeting of Conference of Parties (COP-11)of the United National Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 1stMeeting of Parties (MOP-1) of the Kyoto Protocol was held in Montreal from 28th Novemberto 9th December 2005.This Conference was a landmark event as it formally adopted variousdecisions popularly known as Marrakech Accord. This ensures that the Kyoto Protocol is nowup and running. The Indian delegation played an important role in drafting the decision

60

providing further guidance relating to the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). The promptstart projects/activities that commenced in the period between 1 January 2000 and 18November 2004 and have not yet requested registration but have either submitted newmethodology or have requested validation by a designated operational entity by 31st December2005 can now request retroactive credits after they are registered by the CDM Executive Boardby 31st December 2006. Earlier this deadline was 31st December 2005. Another favourableaspect of this decision has been new eligibility of programme based CDM activities. Thisensures that many more CDM projects from India would be able to register with the CDMExecutive Board. It may be worthwhile to mention that currently India is the global leader ingenerating CDM projects and has accorded Host Country Approval to 203 CDM projects,which are expected to generate 195 million Certified Emission Reduction Units (CERs) andenvisage an investment of Rs. 14,765 crore in the country.

Another important decision of this conference was to consider further commitments fordeveloped country parties included in Annex 1 for the period beyond 2012 in accordance withArticle 3, Paragraph 9 of the Kyoto Protocol. An open-ended ad-hoc working group of partiesto the Kyoto Protocol has been established to ensure that there is no gap between the first andsecond commitment periods. The meeting also approved a five-year programme of work of theSubsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) on impacts, vulnerabilityand adaptation to climate change. During the Conference, many countries both developed anddeveloping pressed for further “broad basing” of GHG abatement commitments. Our delegationwas able to moderate this demand for inclusion not only of non-Kyoto developed countries likethe USA, but also fast growing developing countries like India, China and Brazil to a dialogueon long-term cooperative action to address climate change, rather than negotiations on newcommitments, by enhancing implementation of the Convention. This dialogue withoutprejudice to any future negotiations, commitments, process, framework or mandate underConvention and with the explicit provisions that it will not lead to negotiations for newcommitments, is meant to exchange experiences and analyze strategic approaches for long-termcooperative action to address climate change that includes the following areas: -

(a) Advancing development goals in a sustainable way (b) Addressing action on adaptation (c)Realizing the full potential of technology (d) Realizing the full potential of marked-basedopportunities.

During my participation in the high-level segment of the Conference, I emphasized thatdespite 8 per cent annual GDP growth, which we hope to attain in the near future, and which isthe absolutely essential to sustain if we have to succeed in alleviating mass poverty in ourlifetime, it will be many decades before India’s per capita GHG emissions approach anythingclose to the current world average. While emphasizing that our first and overriding priority iseconomic and social development and poverty eradication, our delegation at the Conferencemaintained that India took its responsibilities and commitments under the FrameworkConvention very seriously and is committed to pursue the path of sustainable development.Further that we were actively pursuing policies, which are designed to control, reduce orprevent anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases in sectors such as energy, transport,industry and forestry. Our stand at the Conference drew considerable appreciation and support,particularly from other developing countries. The issues related to the Asia-Pacific Partnershipon Clean Development and Climate, which is complementary to the Kyoto Protocol, were alsodiscussed at the official level on the sidelines of the Montreal Conference. In January next year,the Partners will adopt the Charter and the Work Program of this Partnership. The issue of

61

climate change is very important and we are taking necessary action meeting with theassociated political, scientific and economic challenges”.

[Source: http://pib.nic.in/]

Kofi Annan awarded UAE Environment PrizeDubai, December 20: UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has been awarded the United ArabEmirates' $1 million Zayed environment prize along with ecology activists and scientists,organisers said on Monday. The jury cited Annan's efforts "to catalyse political and publicopinion to an understanding that the environment is a fundamental pillar of sustainabledevelopment”. The jury also honoured the 1,360 scientists who helped prepare the MillenniumEcosystem Assessment, compiled by UN agencies and other groups, and activists fromTrinidad and Tobago and Indonesia, the Use’s WAM news agency said. Previous winners ofthe prize, established in honour of the UAE's late President Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahayan, include former US President Jimmy Carter and the British Broadcasting Corporation.

[Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com]

Cement Industry turning Green but needs to do moreNew Delhi, December 16, 2005: Leading environmental NGO Centre for Science andEnvironment (CSE) has awarded the Indian cement industry its "Three Green Leaves" ratingfor reducing pollution but feels it needs to clean up its mining practices. Only one company -Madras Cement Limited's Alathiyur Works near Chennai - has been awarded the prestigious"Four Leaves Award", becoming the first Indian plant in India to receive this honour. TheGujarat plant of Gujarat Ambuja Cement Limited bagged the second spot, while the third spotwas shared by three companies - JK Lakshmi Cement Limited, Prism Cement Limited andACC's Gagal Cement Works.” The sector has scored high because of the initiatives it has takento reduce its air pollution and the fact that it is today one of the world's most energy-efficientcement producers," said CSE director Sunita Narain here Friday. The rating report released byeminent scientist M.S. Swaminathan revealed some of the top players were not doing too wellon controlling pollution levels. Grasim Industries Limited of Aditya Birla group, which has 22percent of the market share of this booming industry, was rated mediocre by CSE. The nextbiggest company, the prestigious Associated Cement Companies (ACC) Limited, now jointlyowned by multinational Holcim and India's Ambuja Group, scored less than 35 percent marksas a group.

However, the group's Gagal plant located in Himachal Pradesh was rated India's third bestplant. Privately owned India Cements Limited, the fourth largest cement seller in the country,was given the lowest rank. Global cement leader Lafarge could only manage the sixth position.With an installed capacity to make 163 million tonnes and with actual production of about 125million tonnes, India's cement industry is the second largest in the world. It accounts for 6.1percent of global production. CSE's rating was done on the basis of a study covering 41 topproducers and comprising 80 percent of the sector. In comparison with CSE's earlier rating ofthe pulp and paper, chlor-alkali and automobiles industries, the cement industry scored highermarks.” While the (cement) industry has earned credit for reducing energy use and pollution, ithas been indicted for its bad mining practices. The fact is that India's cement industry spends aslittle as four percent of its turnover on the cost of its raw material - limestone," Narain said.

Limestone mining is leading to huge environmental problems, including the depletion ofgroundwater, the CSE study found. Said Narain: "Since mining regulations in the cement

62

industry are poor, the sector is increasingly becoming a major source of pollution.” Rules onthe location of mines are so poorly implemented that many mines are located close to wildlifesanctuaries and reserve forests. The CSE study found 44 percent of mines were located inecologically sensitive areas. As 90 percent of limestone mining in India is done by blasting,"this means more noise, vibration and dust", said Narain. She also called for better wastemanagement through larger use of fly ash for production of cement. "The industry shouldutilize as much as 40 percent of the total fly ash generated and solve a major waste disposalproblem. But today they are using only 12 percent."

[Source: http://news.webindia123.com]

Fly Ash should be treated as a resource, says Oscar FernandesNew Delhi, December 12, 2005: "If people can be convinced that use of fly ash can reduce thetime for making the concrete, provide more solidity and reduce costs, the day is not far offwhen India would be able to utilise all 100 million tomes of fly ash produced by it as buildingmaterial." This was stated by Oscar Fernandes, Minister of State (Independent Charge) forStatistics and Programme Implementation, Youth Affairs and Sports and Overseas IndianAffairs at the inauguration of the two day National Conference on High Volume Fly-ashConcrete organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and CANMET here today.Addressing the delegates attending the conference, Fernandes said that there was a time whenfly ash was considered a problem for environment and no one knew how to dispose it off. Butas the utility of fly ash as a substance that could provide solidity to construction material cameto be known, the realization has dawned that "it is a clear case of resource material" he said.

Highlighting the advantages of using fly ash Mr.Fernandes said that ultimately the mainconcern for the common man was reducing costs and any material that could reduce costs evenby one rupee would be taken up by the people. Secondly, fly ash gave a better finishing andfinally it provided more solidity and durability to buildings and roads, he pointed out.Fernandes said that one of the major drawbacks in using fly ash for making bricks was logisticssince it was difficult to carry it to the place where bricks are made. "If the question of distancecould be tackled the day is not far off when not only the 100 million tones of fly ash producesannually would be fully utilized but people would start burning more coal to produce more flyash" he stated. Lucie Edwards, Canada's High Commissioner to India, pointed out that therewas a time when fly ash was considered not only a waste but a nuisance. She said that theimplementation of the High Volume Fly Ash Concrete (HVFAC) transfer technology project toIndia jointly implemented by CII and CANMET has changed that perception. She said thatsuch projects were particularly relevant to India which was facing an energy crunch and theadded advantage was that use of fly ash also reduced threat to environment to a great degree.

Welcoming the delegates, Harshvardhan Neotia, Chairman CII National Committee onHousing and Cement and Director, Gujarat Ambuja Cement, said that one of the key challengesfacing the concrete industry was "to meet economically and efficiently the enormousinfrastructure needs of a rapidly industrializing world.” He said that Portland cement which wasmostly used as construction material was relatively "green " material. " "However, the OrdinaryPortland Cement (OPC) is not so green because the production of each tonne of cement clinkerreleases approximately similar amount of CO2 into the atmosphere. The current worldproduction of OPC is about 2 billion tonnes and account for five to seven percent of total CO2emissions of 28 billion tones" he warned. In this respect he mentioned that India was producing100 million tonnes of Fly Ash annually which was expected to reach 180 million tones by

63

2015. Disposal of fly ash was also a growing problem since only 12 percent of fly ash wascurrently used, the remainder goes to land fill. He pointed out to a World Bank Report whichpredicted that by 2015 disposal of fly ash would require 1000 square kilometers of land. Hesaid that even though a lot of research on fly ash had been started in India, construction withHVFAC had yet to take off in India on a big scale. In this context he mentioned that a projectwas jointly undertaken by CII along with International Center for Sustainable Development ofCement and Concrete (ICON) CANMET, Canada, HVFAC at Canada Centre for Mineral andEnergy Technology CANMET in late 1980s, "which makes high performance concrete, bypartial replacement of cement with fly ash. This technology achieves the twin benefits ofreducing the amount of cement used and also provides an efficient mechanism for the disposalof fly ash," he said. He said that in view of the enormous advantages, fly ash should actually beconsidered as a resource material rather than an industrial waste and said that it had tremendousbusiness potential.

[Source: http://news.webindia123.com]

Mineral Policy to help boost Jharkhand’s EconomyNew Delhi - 10 December, 2005: The Jharkhand government has madeit clear that it will not allow the State’s own iron ore to goout from the State without value-addition. This is to be done toensure the development of the State’s economy based on mineralresources. This is to be done to ensure the development of theState’s economy based on mineral resources. As mineral-basedindustries are the only USP for Jharkhand, it does not want tosacrifice these resources succumbing to popular sentiment of thenon-iron ore bearing states. The State’s mineral policy has beenconveyed to the Prime Minister and the governments in theneighbouring States as well as to prospective investors.

The Chief Secretary of the State, Mr P.P. Sharma, toldBusiness Line that the policy was well taken up by privateinvestors. In fact, the State Government has received about 20investment proposals covering mines & minerals, power and hotelindustries. Of the total proposals received, MoUs have beensigned for five steel projects and one aluminia refining projectand two power projects. The other proposals are in advancestages of consideration. Mr Sharma said prospective investorshad been asked to cooperate with the State Government towardsdeveloping basic infrastructure such as roads, bridges,technical schools and hospitals. He reminded that no majorinvestment took place in the Jharkhand region for the last 40years. The region achieved statehood status only in 2000.Therefore , one should not expect ready infrastructure like theones in the neghbouring states. However, he said the responsewas good with the Tatas, the L.N. Mittal group and the SajanJindal group agreeing to set up polytechnical schools fortraining of local people.

[Source: Business Line]

CIL urges Centre for more teethRanchi, December 09, 2005: Public sector Coal India Limited Chairman Shashi Kumar todayappealed to the Central government that the coal mining sector should immediately be declared

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as infrastructure sector and the coal companies should be given more teeth to deal with itsaffairs. Addressing the inaugural session of a two-day national seminar on coal-prospects andchallenges here in the Indian Institute of Coal Management, Mr Kumar said the coal companiesshould have more power so that they could effectively deal with their affairs. Coal miningshould immediately be declared an infrastructure sector for getting additional benefits. Thereshould be no delay in it. Coal prices should be made totally market driven and a permanentmechanism should be developed to make coal companies capable of acquiring land for theirprojects, he said. Later addressing the seminar union secretary for coal P C Parakh said the coalcompanies should strengthen themselves by better performance and utilisation of resourcesrather than asking for more empowerment. '' Power cannot be sought rather it can be acquiredby strengthening oneself, '' he said. Mr Parakh also suggested that the CIL should invest itshuge profit reserves to foray into power and other mining sectors.

[Source: http://news.webindia123.com]

Health, Environment, Labour may get Third-Party InspectorsNew Delhi, Nov 09, 2005: The government is considering a proposal for allowing third partyinspectors, both public and private, for conducting mandated inspections in the health,environment and labour sectors. According to a report prepared by the Planning Commissionfor reducing the menace of inspector-raj, any public-private party certified by the qualitycouncil of India, should be allowed to conduct inspections in addition to the governmentdesignated inspectors. To ensure that the third-party inspectors are competent, the report hassuggested that they should adhere to strict quality norms including ISO 14001 and twointernational standards. The proposal, which also includes suggestions for reducing bias inconduct on income tax inspections, will be submitted to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) forits consideration. Speaking to FE, officials said that the idea behind the proposal was to givethe industry the option to choose between government inspectors and third-party inspectors.” Ifa particular unit is apprehensive that the government appointed inspector may not give a fairreport, it should have an option to fall back upon,” an official said.

[Source: http://www.financialexpress.com]

Alarm for Wildlife HabitatNew Delhi, Oct. 14, 2005: A leading NGO has expressed concern over Jharkhandgovernment’s plans to promote industrialisation and coal mining in areas that could lead to thedestruction of wildlife corridors in the state. This, believes the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI),would not only fuel man-animal conflict, but also result in the decimation of regions rich inbio-diversity. A report compiled by WTI says urgent measures are required to save thecorridors spanning the five districts of Palamau, Latehar, Chatra, Hazaribagh, Koderma, whichare also among the few surviving bio-diversity rich regions in the state. Wildlife corridors areforest areas connecting two or more wildlife habitats, which are usually of one to twokilometres in breadth and may extend up to several kilometres in length. The present study inJharkhand, which is part of a nationwide project on 88 corridors, has focused on this aspect ofconservation and the important contribution that corridors have on long-term conservation ofwildlife. Highlighting the new proposals for development in the region, the report pointed outthat Central Coalfields Limited (CCL) has plans of setting up 25 new coal mine blocks spreadacross 1,175 sq. km in these five districts.” These new coal mines will average 300 feet indepth and water tables will be drastically affected. The risk of storm-water pollution and therun off from mines chemically polluting the Damodar River has incalculable threats

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downstream. All these will be open-cast coal mines that will completely destroy the age-oldforests and wildlife corridors,” says the study, while elaborating on the adverse impact ofsimilar policies in adjoining areas in the Damodar Valley.

According to WTI, the situation is alarming since the existing laws do not permitenvironmental impact assessments in the corridor areas. As a result, the proposed coal mineswould not have to get this vital clearance from the central ministry for setting up a new venture.“Hence, at present it is only the individual responsibility of the companies to see that theenvironment impact from such activities is reduced to a minimum. In the absence of this vitalpiece of legislation, neither the Jharkhand Forest Department nor the coal mining companiesare directly liable,” the study says. The report, to be released next month, was prepared byHazaribagh-based Justin Imam, who is the documentation in-charge of Intach for the district. AWTI official said copies would be forwarded to Project Elephant and other concerneddepartments.

[Source: http://www.telegraphindia.com]

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66

Important Parliament QuestionsRajya Sabha unstarred Question No.2188 answered on 12.8.2005- Iron-Ore Production.

2188. Shri Surendra Lath: Shri Kripal Parmar:

Will the Minister of Steel be pleased to state:

a) the quantum of iron-ore produced during the last two years and the names of thecountries to which iron-ore was exported alongwith the quantum of such export to eachcountry;

b) whether it is a fact that some private sector companies like 'POSCO' have been permittedto commission steel plant in the country with the guarantee of supply of iron-ore and alsowith permission to export; and

c) if so, the reasons therefor in view of less production of iron-ore in the country ascompared to its requirement?

ANSWER

Minister of Chemicals & Fertilisers and Steel (Shri Ram Vilas Paswan)

(a) The production of iron ore during last two years is as mentioned below:

(Qty. in million tonnes)

Year Production

2003-04 (Provisional) 120.60

2004-05 (Estimated) 145.00(Source: FIMI/IBM)

The details of export of iron ore to various countries are as below;

(Qty. in lakh tonnes)

Name of the Country 2003-04 2004-05 (Prov.)

China 420.59 593.99

Japan 131.00 111.31

S. Korea 21.45 21.78

Taiwan 8.80 6.08

Europe 24.70 28.90

Others 19.25 119.38

Total 625.79 781.45 (Source: MMTC)

(b)&(c): Government of some mineral rich states, like Orissa, have signed memorandums ofunderstanding (MOU) with steel companies which, inter-alia, includes an undertaking from thestate government for grant of prospecting licenses and mining leases of iron ore for captive use.

67

This reflects the desire of these states to use their natural resources for their rapidindustrialization. Normally, the undertaking to grant mining leases, would stipulate the use ofthe iron ore only for captive purposes. In the specific case of POSCO, the MOU signedbetween Government of Orissa and the company, only envisages limited swapping of highalumina content iron ore with low alumina content iron ore of equal quantity on a net nil exportbasis within the framework of the applicable Export-Import Policy of the Government. Noreserve of iron ore for the purpose of direct export is provided for in the MOU. Further theproduction of iron ore has always been more than the demand/requirement of iron ore in thecountry.

(Business Information Bureau, New Delhi - 18.8.2005)

Rajya Sabha unstarred Question no. 2755 answered on 22 August, 2005 - Leasing out ofIron Ore Mines

2755 Shri Ajay Maroo:

Will the Minister of Mines be pleased to state:

a) whether Government have any information or figures regarding leasing out of iron oremines for mining purposes in Jharkhand;

b) if so, what are the details thereof; and

c) whether Government have issued any guidelines to the State Governments in this regard,if so, what are the details thereof?

ANSWER

The Minister of Sate in the Ministry of Mines (Dr. Dasari Narayana Rao)

(a) & (b) : During the last three years, Central Government has approved the followingproposals received from State Government of Jharkhand for grant of mining lease for iron ore:-SI.No.

Name of applicant Name of Mineral Area/distt

1. Shri Bachan Singh Iron ore 106.59 Acres, Latehar2. M/s Usha Martin Industries

Ltd.Iron Ore & Manganese ore 383.20

3. M/s. Balaii IndustriesProducts Ltd.

Iron Ore & Manganese ore 420.95 Acres, WestSinghbhum

4. M/s Prasad GroupResources Pvt.

Iron Ore & Manganese ore 275.23 Acres, WestSinghbhum Ltd.

5. M/s Niranjan Hi-Tech Ltd. Iron Ore & Manganese ore 356.18 Acres, WestSinghbhum

6. M/s. AML Steel & PowerLtd.

Iron Ore & Manganese ore 383.54 Acres, WestSinghbhum

(c) : The applications for grant of mining leases are received and processed by the StateGovernment concerned following the provisions of the Mines and Minerals (Development andRegulation) Act, 1957 and Rules made there under which prescribe detail procedure andconditions for grant of mineral concessions. Only for a select number of minerals specified inthe First Schedule to the aforesaid Act, prior approval of the Central Government is requiredbefore grant of mineral concessions by the State Governments. Even in cases of prior approval,

68

the grant of mining lease and execution of lease deed with the lease-holder is done by theconcerned State Government as per the laid down procedure under the Act and the Rulesframed there under.

(Business Information Bureau, New Delhi - Issue No. 14,20(15)

Lok Sabha unstarred Question No. 3869 answered on 22.8.2005 - Permission for Iron OreProjects in Maharashtra

3869. Prof. Mahadeorao Shiwankar:

Will the Minister of Steel be pleased to state:a) whether the Union Government has granted permission for iron ore projects in

Maharashtra pending for clearance;b) if so, the details thereof;c) if not, the date by which the permission is likely to be granted;d) whether any assessment regarding the excavation of iron ore in tones per annum; and e) if

so, the details thereof?

ANSWER

Minister of Chemicals & Fertilisers and Steel (Shri Ram Vilas Paswan)

(a) to (c): Central Government has conveyed prior approval in respect of the followingproposals for grant of mining lease for iron ore in Maharashttra since 1.4.2002 till date:S.No. Name of applicant Area/Distt.1. M/s Jayaswal Neco Ltd. 2.61 hects distt. Gondia2. M/s Prakash Ramdeo Jaiswal 4.04 hects. Districtt Gondia3. M/s Jayaswal Neco Ltd. 37.34 hects. District Gondia4. M/s Nirmal Chand Jain 25.62 Acres district Gadchiroli5. M/s Anju Mines Minerals & Chemicals Pvt Ltd. 512.00 hect district Gadchiroli6. Shri Anoj Kumar Agarwal 12.00 hect, district Gadchiroli7. Shri Ramesh Mahadeorao Rajkar Warora 8.00 hect district Gadchiroli8. Shri Manoj Kumar Ajitsaria 4.00 hect district Gadchiroli

There are two proposals for grant of mining lease for iron ore which have been received fromState Government of Maharashtra seeking prior approval of the Central Government. It is notpossible to indicate any specific time frame for conveying the approval in respect of these twoproposals:S.No. Name of the applicants Area/District Date of Receipt1. M/s Minerals & Metals 51.79 hect District Sindhudurg 1.10.20042. M/s Gahra Minerals 4.63 hect District Chandrapur 1.10.2004(d) &( e): As per the information available in Indian Mineral Year Book, 2004 the productionof iron ore in Maharashtra is shown below:2001-02 33,000 tonnes2002-03 36,000 tonnes2003-04 (provisional) 35,000 tonnes

[Source: Business Information Bureau, New Delhi - Issue No. 14,2005)]

69

Lok Sabha unstarred Question No. 579 answered on 25 November, 2005 – Closure ofMines

579. Shri Jaswant Singh Bishnoi:

Will the Minister of Mines be pleased to state:

(a) the number of mines that have been closed down in the country during the last three years,State-wise specially in Rajasthan;

(b) whether the closed mines are likely to be revived;

(c) if so, the time by which it is likely to be revived; and

(d) if not, the reasons therefore?Sl.No.

Government Number of minesclosed in the year of

2002-03

Number of minesclosed in the year of

2003-04

Number of minesclosed in the year of

2004-051. Andhra Pradesh 39 05 012. Assam 00 00 003. Bihar 02 02 614. Chhattisgarh 01 01 625. Goa 01 09 1986. Gujarat 27 48 067. Haryana 103 00 008. Himachal Pradesh 00 00 009. Jammu & Kashmir 00 00 0010. Jharkhand 01 12 17511. Karnataka 01 00 0712. Kerala 00 00 0213. Maharashtra 00 00 7314. Manipur 00 00 0015. Meghalaya 00 00 0016. Madhya Pradesh 02 00 9317. Orissa 00 00 0018. Rajasthan 144 21 12719. Tamil Nadu 00 00 0120. Uttar Pradesh 00 00 0021. Uttaranchal 02 00 0022. West Bengal 00 00 00

Total 323 98 806[Source: Business Information Bureau, New Delhi –29 November,2005)]

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Environmental ClearancesThe information on the mining projects accorded environmental clearance is given below:

State Project Details Received on Approved onChhattishgarh .

Project No: J-11015/95/2003-IA.II(M)Project Name: Chotia-II Captive Coal Mine Project , MLArea: 410.982 ha Prod. Cap.: 0.25 MTPAAgency: M/s Prakash Inds. Ltd.

31/12/2004 16/11/2005

Project No: J-11015/96/2004-IA.II(M)Project Name: Chotia-I Captive Coal Mine Project, MLArea: 1101.043 haProd. Cap.: 0.751 MTPAAgency: M/s Prakash Inds. Ltd.

31/12/2004 16/11/2005

Goa

Project No: J-11015/103/2005-IA.II(M)Project Name: Dudhal (Culnaoril Sido) Iron Ore Mine ofM/s V.S.Dempo & Co. Pvt. Ltd., South Goa

19/03/2005 17/11/2005

Project No: J-11015/155/2005-IA.II(M)Project Name: Curpem Iron & Manganese Ore Mine ofM/s V.S.Dempo. & Co. Pvt Ltd., Dist. South Goa

07/04/2005 17/11/2005

Project No: J-11015/156/2005-IA.II(M)Project Name: Collemba Iron Ore Mine of M/sV.S.Dempo. & Co. Pvt Ltd., Dist. South Goa

07/04/2005 17/11/2005

Project No: J-11015/169/2005-IA.II(M)Project Name: Vichundram Iron Ore Mine of Mr. Nakulalias Gurudas Hiru Gauns (formerly M/s Hiru BomboGauns) , Dist. South Goa

16/06/2005 17/11/2005

Project No:J-11015/43/2004-IA.II(M)Project Name: Sancordem Malpona Mine of M/sV.M.Salgaocar & Bros. Pvt. Ltd. North Goa

01/03/2005 17/11/2005

Project No: J-11015/44/2004-IA.II(M)Project Name: Surla Sonshi Iron Ore Mine of M/s V.S.Dempo & Co. Pvt. Ltd. North Goa

02/03/2005 17/11/2005

Project No: J-11015/45/2004-IA.II(M)Project Name: Bicholim Iron Ore Mines of M/s DempoMining Corp. Pvt. Ltd. North Goa

02/03/2005 17/11/2005

Project No: J-11015/60/2005-IA.II(M)Project Name: Kirlapale Iron Ore Mine of Smt.Ahilyabhai Sardesai, South Goa

11/03/2005 11/11/2005

Project No: J-11015/59/2005-IA.II(M)Project Name: Santonachi Upri Mine of M/s Zarapkar &Parkar, ML Area: 98.3095 ha, Prod. Cap.: 0.5 MTPA

11/03/2005 28/10/2005

Project No:.J-11015/58/2005-IA.II(M)Project Name: Odamolla Iron Ore Mine, ML Area:85.72 ha Prod. Cap.: 0.75 MTPA; Agency:M/s Sova

11/03/2005 28/10/2005

Project No:J-11015/100/2005-IA.II(M)Project Name: Bimbol (Huldul Dongar) Iron Ore Mineof Sh. G.N.Agarwal, Dist. South Goa

19/03/2005 28/10/2005

Project No:J-11015/158/2005-IA.II(M)Project Name: Collem Iron Ore Mine of Shri PrafullaKumar Hede, Dist. South Goa

08/04/2005 26/10/2005

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Project No: J-11015/161/2005-IA.II(M)Project Name: Bondra Advona Iron Ore Mine of M/sPanduronga Timblo Industries, Dist. South Goa

08/04/2005 20/10/2005

Project No: J-11015/27/2004-IA.II(M)Project Name: Codli Iron Ore Mine of M/s Sesa GoaLtd., Dist. South Goa

18/02/2005 06/10/2005

Gujarat

Project No: J-11015/18/2004-IA.II(M)Project Name: Tadkeshwar Lignite Mine, ML Area:964.41 haProd. Cap.: 0.1 MTPAAgency: M/s GMDC

22/03/2004 20/10/2005

Project No: J-11015/50/2003-IA.II(M)Project Name: Chorbedi (Composite) Limestone mineof Shree Digvijay Cement Co. Ltd., Dist. Jamnagar

02/03/2005 07/10/2005

Project No: J-11015/47/2005-IA.II(M)Project Name: Gop (Composite) Limestone mine ofShree Digvijay Cement Co. Ltd., Dist. Jamnagar

02/03/2005 07/10/2005

Project No: J-11015/48/2005-IA.II(M)Project Name: Mokhana Limestone mine of ShreeDigvijay Cement Co. Ltd., Dist. Jamnagar

02/03/2005 07/10/2005

Project No: J-11015/49/2005-IA.II(M)Project Name: Pachhtar Limestone mine of ShreeDigvijay Cement Co. Ltd., Dist. Jamnagar

02/03/2005 07/10/2005

Himachal Pradesh

.Project No: J-11015/07/2002-IA-II(M)Project Name: Limestone Mining Project of M/s HarishCement Ltd., ML area: 725.855 haProd. Capacity:3.2MTPA

23/10/2001 15/09/2005

Karnataka . . .

Project No: J-11015/125/2005-IA.II(M)Project Name: Sankalpuram Iron Ore Mine of M/sR.B.Seth Sri ram Narsingdas

23/03/2005 18/10/2005

Project No: J-11015/146/2005-IA.II(M)Project Name: Siddapura Iron Ore Mine of M/sP.Abubekar, Dist. Bellary

23/03/2005 07/10/2005

Project No: J-11015/118/2005-IA.II(M)Project Name: Jaisingpur Iron Ore Mine of M/s S.B.Minerals 23/03/2005 16/09/2005

Project No: J-11015/77/2004-IA.II(M)Project Name: H. Siddapur Iron Ore Mine, Prod.Capacity: 0.65 MTPAML area: 27.12 haAgency: M/s Bellary Iron Ores Pvt. Ltd.

05/01/2005 13/09/2005

Project No:J-11015/68/2005-IA.II(M)Project Name: Mattapalli Limestone Mine of M/s NCLInds. Ltd., Dist. Nalgonda

15/03/2005 30/08/2005

Project No: J-11015/76/2004-IA.II(M)Project Name: Siddapuram Iron Ore Mine, Prod.Capacity: 0.60 MTPAML area: 20.24 haAgency: M/s Y. Mahabaleshwarappa & Sons

05/01/2005 30/08/2005

Madhya Pradesh . . .

Project No: J-11015/72 /2005-IA.II(M)Project Name: Limestone Mine of M/s VikramCements, Dist. Neemuch

19/04/2005 07/10/2005

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Orissa . . .

Project No: J-11015/87/2004-IA.II(M)Project Name: Tiringpahar Manganese Ore Mine ofM/s Tata Steel, Dist. Keonjhar

01/04/2005 17/11/2005

Project No: J-11015/201/2005-IA.II(M)Project Name: Gonua Iron and Manganese Miningproject of M/s Pawan Kumar Ahluwalia (earlier nameSmt. Maitri Shukla), District Sundergarh

16/05/2005 07/10/2005

Project No: J-11015/41/2005-IA.II(M)Project Name: Expansion of Thakurani Iron Ore Mineof M/s Kaypee Enterprises, Dist. Keonjhar.

01/03/2005 07/10/2005

Rajasthan . . .

Project No: J-11015/15/2005-IA.II(M)Project Name: Rajshree Limestone Mine-II , ML Area:400.07 ha, Prod. Cap.: 0.45 MTPAAgency: M/s Grasim Inds. Ltd.

28/01/2005 17/11/2005

Project No: J-11015/16/2005-IA.II(M)Project Name: Rajshree Limestone Mine-I of M/sGrasim Inds. Ltd., Nagaur

01/02/2005 17/11/2005

Project No: J-11015/75./2004-IA.II(M)Project Name: Bondagaon Silica Sand Mine of M/sSubhash Chand Mukesh Chand

25/04/2005 21/10/2005

Project No: J-11015/20/2005-IA.II(M)Project Name: Banesti-II Red Ochre and China ClayMine of M/s Mohd. Sher Khan Pathan., Dt. Chiitrogarh

04/02/2005 21/10/2005

Project No: J-11015/07/2004-IA.II(M)Project Name: Gevariya Chainpura Asanmata & BhagwasiaMine of M/s Udaipur Mineral Dev. Syndicate Pvt. Ltd.

04/04/2005 04/10/2005

Tamil Nadu . . .

Project No: J-11015/192/2005-IA.II(M)Project Name: Periathirukonam Limestone Mine of M/sDalmia Cements Ltd., ML area – 61.635 ha Prod. Cap.1.2 MTPA

12/07/2005 28/10/2005

Project No: J-11015/338/2005-IA.II(M)Project Name: KLK-KVK Limestone Mine , ML area –13.29 ha, Prod. Cap. 0.05 MTPAAgency: M/s Dalmia Cements Ltd.

12/09/2005 24/10/2005

Project No: J-11015/339/2005-IA.II(M)Project Name: KLK-KVK Limestone Mine, ML area –166 ha, Prod. Cap. 1.0 MTPAAgency: M/s Dalmia Cements Ltd.

12/09/2005 24/10/2005

Project No: J-11015/340/2005-IA.II(M)Project Name: KLK-KVK Limestone Mine, ML area –10.54 ha, Prod. Cap. 0.2 MTPA,Agency: M/s Dalmia Cements Ltd

12/09/2005 24/10/2005

Project No: J-11015/185/2005-IA.II(M)Project Name: Maravarperungudi Kankar Miningproject of M/s Madras Cement Ltd. District Virudhnagar.

03/05/2005 06/10/2005

[http://www.envfor.nic.in ]

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SOME SELECTED REFERENCESVetiver Grass Technology: An Economical Bio-Reclamation Approach for Coal OverburdenDumpsNikhil Kumar, Sundararajan M., Birendra

Kumar and Gupta Asha (2004). Proceedings of the National

Seminar on Environmental Engineering with special emphasis on Mining Environment, NSEEME. ENVISAccession Number: 5436.

Vetiver Grass (Vetiveria zizanioides) is planted for soil, water and air conservation. Vetiver grasswith its unique morphology, physiology and ecological characteristics including its tolerance to high levelsof heavy metals and adverse conditions has a key role in the area of environmental protection and landrehabilitation. In this paper, it has been described in details about the growth and development of thisgrass over coal overburden dumps. Moreover, it adds nutrients by its biomass and improves the physico-chemical properties of the dumps to support the other species to come up. The percentages of theincrease in soil nutrients in both Mandamon and West Mudidih coal overburden dumps have beencompared using appropriate method. The techno-economical feasibility of Vetiver grass in variousapplications has been studied. It has been concluded that the selecting vetiver grass species is theeconomical bio-reclamation approach for the coal overburden dump.Appropriate Strategies for Reclamation and Revegetation of Coal Mine Spoil DumpsJuwarkar Asha A., Jambulkar Hemlata P. and Singh Sanjeev Kumar (2004). Proceedings of the NationalSeminar on Environmental Engineering with special emphasis on Mining Environment, NSEEME-2004.ENVIS Accession Number: 5428.

Open cast mining destroys the original land ecosystem and microbial community due to miningactivity and stockpiling of mine rejects on adjoining land. The landscapes that emerge are devoid ofsupportive and nutritive capacity for biomass development. Several microbial processes such as nitrogenand carbon cycling, humification and soil aggregation are practically nonfunctional posing scientificchallenges in the restoration of rhizosphere productivity and fertility. The degraded land does not possessuitable surface soil to provide bedding layer for anchorage of plan and to support the biomass. Also theplant growth is not supported due to presence of toxic materials Gradual increase in such landscapes dueto intensive mining activity endangers not only the agro forestry productivity but also the aquatic eco-systems. The rejuvenation of mine spoil dump and mined land productivity and fertility throughamendment of organic material such as effluent treatment plant sludge a waste product of paper millindustry, biofertilisers and endomycorrhizal fungi will unable restoration of the degraded land ecosystemand helps to create luxuriant forests in the country providing substantial carbon dioxide sink vital forbiosphere integrity, build up of nutritive top soil and enhanced ground water recharge.Prospects for Enhancing Carbon Sequestration and Reclamation of Degraded Lands with Fossil-Fuel Combustion By-ProductsPalumbo A.V., McCarthy J.F., Amonette J.E., Fisher L.S., Wullschleger S.D., and Daniels W. Lee (2002).Advances in Environmental Research. ENVIS Accession Number: 4856.

Concern for the potential global change consequences of increasing atmospheric CO2 has promptedinterest in the development of mechanisms to reduce or stabilize atmospheric CO2. During the nextseveral decades, a program focused on terrestrial sequestration processes could make a significantcontribution to abating CO2 increases. The reclamation of degraded lands, such as mine-spoil sites,highway rights-of-way, and poorly managed lands, represents an opportunity to couple C sequestrationwith the use of fossil-fuel and energy by-products and other waste material, such as biosolids and organic

74

wastes from human and animal sewage treatment facilities, to improve soil quality. Degraded lands areoften characterized by acidic pH, low levels of key nutrients, poor soil structure, and limited moisture-retention capacity. Much is known about the methods to improve these soils, but the cost ofimplementation is often a limiting factor. However, the additional financial and environmental benefits of Csequestration may change the economics of land reclamation activities. The addition of energy-relatedby-products can address the adverse conditions of these degraded lands through a variety ofmechanisms, such as enhancing plant growth and capturing of organic C in long-lived soil C pools. Thisreview examines the use of fossil-fuel combustion by-products and organic amendments to enhance Csequestration and identifies the key gaps in information that still must be addressed before these methodscan be implemented on an environmentally meaningful scale.Reclamation of Mining-Generated Wastelands at Alkusha–Gopalpur Abandoned Open CastProject, Raniganj Coalfield, Eastern IndiaDe Sahadeb and Arup Mitra K.. (2002) Environmental Geology 43:39–47. ENVIS Accession Number:4651.

Biological reclamation on a 10-year-old mine spoil at Alkusha–Gopalpur, Raniganj Coalfield, EasternIndia was carried out during 1992. Effects have been measured yearly in terms of species suitability, spoilchemical quality, and biodiversity of natural succession till 1997. It has been determined that out of 14plant species selected for reclamation, the successful ones are Acacia auriculoformis, Acacia arabica,Albizzia lebbek, Leucena leucocephala, and Gmelina arborea. Impaired pH, available mass nutrients (N,P, K), organic carbon, exchangeable cations and cation exchange capacity have been found to increasewhereas trace elements have been found to decrease. There is an indirect relationship between thesurvival percentage and trace element intake capacity of the planted saplings.Soil Microbiological Properties 20 Years after Surface Mine Reclamation: Spatial Analysis ofReclaimed and Undisturbed SitesMummey Daniel L., Stahl Peter D. and Buyer Jeffrey S. (2002). Soil Biology & Biochemistry 34: 717–1725. ENVIS Accession Number: 4542.

Spatial characteristics of soil microbial community structure and selected soil chemical factors wereanalyzed in soil surrounding Agropyron smithii (Western wheatgrass) and Artemisia tridentata (Wyomingbig sagebrush) plants in sites reclaimed after surface mining and adjacent undisturbed sites in Wyoming.Microbial biomass C (MBC) and fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) biomarkers for total biomass, bacteria,and fungi were used as indicators of soil microbial community abundance and structure. In soil 20 yearsafter reclamation FAME total microbial biomass, bacterial and fungal biomarkers, MBC and soil organicmatter (SOM) averaged only 20, 16, 28, 44 and 36% of values found in undisturbed soils. In contrast toundisturbed soils, FAME biomarkers and MBC of reclaimed soils exhibited spatial correlation up to 42 cm.Reclaimed soils also exhibited localized enrichment of bacterial, fungal, and total microbial biomass, aswell as depletion of inorganic N concentrations, around plant bases (10 cm), suggesting relatively poorsoil exploration by roots and microorganisms compared to the undisturbed ecosystem. Strong spatialstratification of undisturbed SOM and soil NH4þ pools was found with highest concentrations on theleeward side of shrubs, likely due to localized changes in microclimate and plant litter deposition. Thisindicates that shrub cover plays a central role in the establishment of site heterogeneity and regulation ofecological processes, such as C and N mineralization and immobilization, which has importantimplications for reclamation.

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NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL EVENTS11-15 January 2006: International Symposium on 'Environmental Issues of Mineral Industry' by VNIT Nagpur, CamborneSchool of Mines & British Council; Contact: Prof. S.B. Shringarputale, Head - Dept. of Mining Engineering, VNIT, Nagpur -440011. E-mail: shrikant0101@rediffmail.com. Tel: +91-712-2222828, 2223710, Ext.1350; Fax: +91-712- 2223230, 2223969.

16-18 January, 2006: AMC 2006 1st Asian Mining Congress: Asian Mining-Towards a new Resurgence, Kolkata.Organised by MGMI, to coincide with the Centenary Celebration of MGMI, AMC 2006 is being held at Kolkata. For further detailscontact: Prof. A.K.Ghose, Chairman Centenary Celebration Committee, Sri L.K.Bose. Chairman-Technical Committee, Prof. S. C.Ray, Convenor, Dr. D. Sarkar, Hony. Secretary MGMI: MGMI, GN-38/4, Salt Lake Sector-V, Kolkata 700 091, Ph: 033-23573482/23573987; Fax: 033-22435653, email: mgmi@vsnl.net.in.

30-31 January, 2006: Black Economic Employment & the New South Africa Coal Summit 2006 at Sheration Arabella, CapeTown, South Africa, Contact: Georgina Lucey: Tel. +44 (O) 1730 265 095, Fax: +44(O) 1730 260 044, email: georginalucey@mccloskeycoal.com or write to: McCloskey Coal Information Service, 2 pages Court, St. Peters Road, Petersfield, Hants,GU32 3HX, UK.

9-10 February, 2006: INDIA MINING SUMMIT 2006 (Partner State Orissa), Hotel Swosti Plaza, Bhubaneswar (Orissa) Contact:Federation of Indian Mineral Industries, 301, Bakshi House, 40-41, Nehru Place, New Delhi - 110 019 Tel: 91-11-26410786/26410078/26214049; Fax: 91-11-26217004; e-mails: fedmin@nda.vsnl.net.in, fimi@fedmin.com; Website:www.fedmin.com.

2-4 March, 2006: National Seminar on the "Evaluation of Mineral Resources of India" Organised by Department of Geology,Andhra University and Association of Economic Geologists of SAAEG, Visakhapatnam Regional Chapter; Contact: Prof.C.V.Raman, Convenor, EMRI-2006, Department of Geology, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam-530003, Andhra Pradesh; Tel:0891-2844709(Off) 2500384(Res); e-mail: cvraman8@rediffmail.com

8-10 March, 2006: International Seminar on Mineral Processing Technology, Hotel Taj Coromandel, Chennai, Tamilnadu,jointly organised by Indian Institute of Mineral Engineers, National Metallurgical Laboratory and Tata Steel Contact: Dr.G. Bhaskar Raju / Dr. S. Prabhakar, National Metallurgical Laboratory - Madras Centre, CSIR Madras Complex, Taramani,Chennai - 600 113, Tamilnadu; Tel: (044) 22542077/22542529; Fax: (044) 22541027; E-mail: mpt2006nml@gmail.com,gbraju55@gmail.com, swaprabha@yahoo.com

22-24 March, 2006: Electra Mining India 2006, Pragati Maidan Exhibition Center, New Delhi Jointly Organised by Inter AdsIndia Limited, New Delhi and Montgomery International Ltd., London. Contact: Mr. Rajat Parashar, Inter Ads India Limited, 2Padmini Enclave, Hauz Khas, New Delhi-110016; Tel:011-26861113/1114; Fax:011-26861112; Mobile: 9811844434; e-mail:emining-india@interadsindia.com

28-31 March, 2006: ASIA MINING CONGRESS 2006, Grant Hyatt, Singapore. Contact Terrapinn Pte Ltd., 12 Prince EdwardRoad, # 03-01, Podium A, Bestway Building, Singapore 079212, Phone: 65-63222770. Fax: 6562233554, Website:www.terarpinn.com/2005/mining_SG

8-10 April, 2006: 5th Annual International Conference on Occupational Health, Safety, Fire & Security, Hyderabadorganised by Greentech Foundation, New Delhi Contact: Mr. Kamaleshwar Sharan, President, Greentech Foundation, 811,Vishwadeep Tower, District Centre, Janak Puri, New Delhi - 110 085 Tel: (011) 25593846, 25554739, 25540482; Fax: (011)51588564; E-mail: mail@greentech.org; Website: www.greentech.org

11-12 May, 2006: Symposium on New Equipment New Technology Management and Safety in Mines and Mineral basedIndustries, Hotel Swosti Plaza, Bhubaneswar organised by Geominetch. Contact: Mr. J.K. Hota, Editor, Mineral Industry Journal& Organising Secretary, Geominetech Symposium, LB 117, Bhimtangi, HB Colony, Bhubaneswar – 751 001, Orissa; Tel: 0674-259324/9337300818/9337102333/; Fax: 0674-2592926; email: hotaeditor@satyam.net.in; hotaeditor@rediffmail.com.

11-14 September 2006: Minerals, Metals, Metallurgy, Materials & Mining 2006, 6th International Trade Fair + Seminar,Venue: Pragati Maidan, New Delhi; Support: The Indian Institute of Metal (Delhi Chapter) Organisers: TAFCON Group, C-60Nizamuddin (East), New Delhi-110 013. Ph: 011-2435214/44/82/84; Fax: 011-24355215, 24354077; email:tafcon@del2.vsnl.net.in.

October 2007: 5th International Conference on Fly Ash Utilisation and Disposal, Venue: New Delhi. For further detailscontact: Central Board of Irrigation & Power, Malcha Marg, Chankyapuri, New Delhi 110 027. Ph: 011-2611 5984, 2611 6567,2611 1294; Fax: 2611 6347; email: cbip@cbip.org/info@cbip.org/cbip@vsnl.com; Website: www.cbip.org.

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Some Useful Links related to Research Institutions/Laboratories

Agharkar Research Institute (ARI) http://www.aripune.orgAhmedabad Textile Industry's Research Association (ATIRA) http://www.atira-tex-rnd.orgAtomic Minerals Directorate (AMD) http://www.dae.gov.in/amd/amd_home.htmBhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) http://www.barc.ernet.inBirbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany http://www.bsip-india.orgBombay Textile Research Association (BTRA) http://www.btraindia.com/Bose Institute, Kolkata http://www.boseinstitute.org/Central Power Research Institute (CPRI) http://powersearch.cpri.res.inCentral Scientific Instruments Organisation (CSIO) http://csio.nic.inCentral Soil and Materials Research Station (CSMRS) http://csmrs.nic.inCentre for Advanced Technology (CAT) http://www.cat.gov.inCentre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) http://www.cdac.inCentre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) http://www.cdot.comCentre for Liquid Crystal Research (CLCR) http://www.mit.gov.in/clcr.aspCentre for Materials for Electronics Technology (C-MET) http://www.cmetindia.orgCouncil of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) http://www.csir.res.in/Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) http://www.drdo.orgHeavy Water Board (HWB) http://www.heavywaterboard.orgHindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) http://www.hal-india.comIndia Meteorological Department (IMD) http://www.imd.ernet.inIndian Academy of Sciences http://www.ias.ac.inIndian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS) http://www.iacs.res.inIndian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) http://www.icar.org.inIndian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS) http://www.iirs-nrsa.orgIndian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) http://www.tropmet.res.inIndian Jute Industries' Research Association (IJIRA) http://www.ijira.orgIndian National Academy of Engineering (INAE) http://www.inae.orgIndian Rare Earths Limited http://www.dae.gov.in/ire.htmIndian Rubber Manufacturers Research Association (IRMRA) http://www.irmra.orgIndian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) http://www.isro.orgIndian Statistical Institute (ISI), Bangalore http://www.isibang.ac.inIndian Statistical Institute (ISI), Calcutta http://www.isical.ac.inIndian Statistical Institute (ISI), Delhi http://www.isid.ac.inIndira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) http://www.igcar.ernet.inInstitute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development (IBSD) http://ibsd-imphal.nic.inInstitute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB) http://www.igib.res.inInstitute of Mathematical Science http://www.imsc.ernet.inJawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) http://www.jncasr.ac.inMan-Made Textiles Research Association (MANTRA) http://www.mantrasurat.orgMedia Lab Asia http://www.medialabasia.orgNational Academy of Agricultural Research Management (NAARM) http://icar.naarm.ernet.inNational Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) http://www.nabl-india.org/National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR) http://ncaor.nic.inNational Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) http://www.ncbs.res.inNational Centre For Plant Genome Research (NCPGR) http://ncpgr.nic.in/National Institute of Design (NID) http://www.nid.edu

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ENVIS Query Form1. Name: 2. Designation:

3. Organisation and Address:

4. Email :

5. Literature will be used for:

6. Date: 7. Signature:I Would like to search your database in the following areas:(tick appropriate subjects, give keywords)

Subject Keywords1. Mine Fires ………. ………. ……….

2. Water Pollution ………. ………. ……….

3. Land Subsidence ………. ………. ……….

4. Noise & Vibration ………. ………. ……….

5. Ergonomics ………. ………. ……….

6. Mine Soil Amendments ………. ………. ……….

7. Land Use ………. ………. ……….

8. Policy & Planning ………. ………. ……….

9. Bioprocessing of Fuel ………. ………. ……….

10. Hydrogeology ………. ………. ……….

11. Acid Mine Drainage ………. ………. ……….

12. Waste Water Treatment ………. ………. ……….

13. Air Pollution ………. ………. ……….

14. Land Reclamation ………. ………. ……….

15. Environmental Management ………. ………. ……….

16. Socio Economic Environment ………. ………. ……….

17. Solid Waste Management ………. ………. ……….

18. Impact Assessment ………. ………. ……….

19. Mine Spoil Amendment ………. ………. ……….

20. Health and Toxicology ………. ………. ……….

21. Mine Closure ………. ………. ……….

Please mail to the attention of Dr. Gurdeep SinghThe Co-ordinator, ENVIS Centre and Professor & Head

Centre of Mining Environment, Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad- 826004.Phone: (0326) 2206372; Fax: (0326) 2206372/2203042/2203080

email: gurdeep_cme@indiatimes.com/ s_gurdeep2001@yahoo.comWebsite: www.geocities.com/envis_ism