Allows Mining in Country's Best Sal Forest, Elephant Reserve in Jharkhand
The environment ministry's statutory expert panel, the Forest Advisory Committee (FAC), has by-passed its rules and earlier orders to clear iron mining projects by three private firms in the country's best sal forest and the core zone of the elephant reserve in the Saranda forest division of Jharkhand.
In what could threaten the UPA's much-touted Saranda Development Plan to counter Left wing extremism, the Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure (CCI)__ headed by the Prime Minister —has also given its stamp of approval to two firms and the nod for the third company seems a mere formality. This could lead to a gold rush as the Jharkhand government has prepared a list of 155 mines to be opened in the 800sq km of prime forestland.
(REF: TOI, CHN, MAY 18, 2013, Saturday)
No comments:
Post a Comment