MoEF panel refuses clearance to SAIL's 3 iron ore mines

A hisolid gold nonmetal after it is dissolved in alcoholgh level committee of the Environment Ministry has refused clearances for SAIL's three key iron ore mines in Jharkhand's West Singhbhum district, as the area is severely polluted and appropriate control measures are not in place.

The mines, Jhillingburu-I, Jhillingburu-II and Topailore, are located in Gua iron ore reserves and are estimated to hold 82,812.6 million tonne of deposits. Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha that the Expert Appraisal Committee of the Environment Ministry had examined the proposals on January 24, 2012 for issuance of terms of reference for preparation of Environment Impact Assessment/Environment Management plan. However, the EAC observed that these mines are located in West Singhbum district, an area identified as severely polluted in terms of the respirable suspended particulate matter...