MINING AND INDUSTRIALISATION UPDATE, ORISSA - Vasundhara

that as 17 steel companies have presentedtheir financial closures, their cases for minesare being processed. Out of them, the StateGovernment has finalised eight cases, andby August-end two more cases would becleared. As for the Posco project, Dalwaisaid that by the end of August, the minesproposal is likely to be finalised. Once theforest clearance from the Supreme Court isavailable, the South Korean steel major cango ahead with construction work in the site,he said, adding that as there has been sometrouble at Dhinkia, Posco might begin theconstruction work from the other side of theland.Villagers petition policeagainst miningThe Pioneer, 12 July,2008KORAPUT: Mali Parvat in Koraput districthas once again come into the lime lighttoday when hundreds of villagers fromKankada Ambo, Maliguda, Tentuliguda,Mugunaguda and Dekapar villages inSemiliguda block marched into the policestation in Semiliguda to press their demandsto take action against the people from thecompany engaged in Bauxite mining fromthe mountains near their villages. While thevillagers had opposed any move by thecompany for mining in the region, thecompany was trying to divide the unity ofthe villagers by bringing some tribal youthinto the front as the representative of thecompany rather than coming directly to facethe people, Arjun Khilo, Secretary, MaliParvat Surakhya Samiti said. The villagershad only objected the entry of the vehiclesand machineries of the company which weretrying to enter the mountains near thevillages on Thursday while they wereattacked by the people from the company, headded.While there were reports submitted tothe police from both the sides, any move tosuppress the villagers’ movement would notbe tolerated, Prafulla Samantra, Statepresident, Lokshakti Abhiyaan said whileexpressing his support to the movement ofthe villagers.Biodiversity plan calls forrestoration of naturalvegetationThe Pioneer, 12 July,2008BHUBANESWAR: The State BiodiversityStrategy Action Plan (SBSAP) which wasreleased here on Saturday called forimplementation of suitable methods of topsoil management and restoration of naturalvegetation. The recommendation assumedsignificance in view of the unprecedentedinvestment proposals in mineral sector in theState. Going by the memoranda ofunderstanding signed by the Stategovernment with private companies, at least74 million tonne per annum steel productionand 16,000 mw of thermal power generationare projected within a decade from now. Itwould require large-scale mining of iron oreas well as coal. Nature and WildlifeConservation Society of Orissa (NWCSO), avoluntary organisation, had prepared theSBSAP as part of the National BiodiversityStrategy Action Plan (NBSAP). “It has beenclearly mentioned in the Mining Act 1960that the topsoil removed in mining areawhile refilling it should be spread over onthe top of barren soil, so that naturalvegetation can come up, “SBSAP said. It,however, expressed concerns that, “in nomining site this practice is being followed. Itseems the mines ignore the importance oftop soil and dump it wherever they like andat times even cover it with soil coming fromunderground. “Pointing out that a naturalvegetation and balanced ecosystem cannotbe compensated through manmadeafforestation, the SBSAP stated non-exoticspecies should be allowed to grow naturallyon the properly utilised top soil. Researchersalso called for a public surveillance onmining sites. “The mining site shouldproperly be inspected at regular intervals bythe government, non-government and NGOsto see whether the miners stick to the9