Indian Environment Minister Rules Out Review Of 'No-Go' Coal Mining Areas
Author:
First published in Sanctuary Asia,
Vol. 31
No. 4,
April 2011
The inter ministerial logjam was evident however when steel minister Beni Prasad Verma said that the Go - No Go issue would be decided on a case by case basis. A group of minister's panel is currently conducting meetings to find suitable solutions for environmental protection and allowing mining.
The ‘No Go' classification in 2009 by the environment ministry has affected 203 coal blocks. The blocks collectively are said to hold a potential of 660 million tonnes of coal annual production. Naturally the coal ministry is upset about the ban on mining in these blocks. Other end user industries like power and steel have also added and expressed their displeasure over the ban on mining in these blocks. Read the full report here.
Source: by Joel Scanlon, Azo Mining.
