Indonesia's progress in reforming its forestry sector will not be sufficient to meet its pledge to reduce carbon emissions by 26 percent by 2020, Norway's environment minister said on Tuesday.

Indonesia imposed a two-year moratorium on clearing forest last May under a $1 billion climate deal with Norway aimed at reducing emissions from deforestation, despite resistance from some government departments and from resource firms looking to expand in the archipelago.

Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), a statutory body under the Union ministry of power, is planning to save 2,308 Mw of energy worth around Rs 11,540 crore during the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17) by mandating the labelling of electronic products. Of this, 400 Mw, worth Rs 2,000 crore, is expected to be saved from the air-conditioners segment.

The central government has already mandated four products – split air-conditioners, fluorescent lamps, transformers and frost-free refrigerators – under the energy efficiency star-labelling to reduce energy consumption, and identified 10 products on a voluntary basis.

The coal ministry has said captive coal blocks could not be allocated to private companies at the market price of reserves. This is despite the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) recently blaming the government for extending “undue gains” worth a whopping Rs 10.6 lakh crore to companies by not allocating the blocks at market prices.

Cement manufacturing giant Lafarge Surma Cement Ltd today said it was adopting a standardised approach to sustainable development by adhering to various environmental norms in its operations across the world, including the one at Nongtrai village in Meghalaya’s East Khasi Hills district. Lafarge Umiam Mining Pvt Ltd (LUMPL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Lafarge Surma Cement Ltd., has been engaging in mining limestone from Nongtrai village under Shella in an area covering over 100 hectares since March 2003.

NEW DELHI: A day after the Centre named several cement plants as eco offenders in Meghalaya, two leading companies – Amrit Cement Industries Ltd and Lafarge Surma Cement Ltd – have denied that have violated any environment laws in the State.

A spokesman from the Amirt cement even submitted documents which showed that the company did get environment clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest before it started its operations.

Shillong: Despite the French cement giant Lafarge Umiam Mining Private Limited (LUMPL) depositing a total amount of Rs 3 crore towards the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), the State Government is yet to carry out the plantation drive of about 4 lakh saplings in 470 hectares of land in the State.

“Under compensatory afforestation, about 4 lakh trees would be planted in an area of 470 hectares in the State,” LUMPL Board of Directors chairman Shivesh Sinha said during an informal interaction with media persons here on Thursday.

Oil companies engaged in drilling and exploration activities, power projects, coal and cement industries, besides developers of national highway in both public and private sectors have emerged as major environmental violators in the North-east. In a Question Hour discussion on Tuesday, Minister of State for Environment and Forest Jayanthi Natarajan allayed all apprehension over violation of environment norms in construction of dams in the North-east.

JAIPUR: When the state government is gearing up to promote the technology to produce fuel out of wastes, a similar arrangement in the city is failing due to alleged sapathy of Jaipur Municipal Corporation (JMC) in providing solid waste to one of the private companies which has set up its plant here.

A private player has established an industry to process municipal solid waste on the outskirts of Jaipur to generate 130-140 tons of refuse derived fuel (RDF) out of 400-500 tons of waste per day.

The Tamil Nadu government has issued orders to upgrade two of its cement plants with an investment of around Rs 515 crore. Besides, it has sanctioned Rs 67.46 crore for Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Papers Limited (TNPL) to set up a cement plant, which will mark the company’s foray into the sector.

The green bench of the Himachal Pradesh High Court has imposed a penalty of Rs 100 crore on Jaiprakash Associates Limited for setting up a mega cement plant with means the court described as deceitful, besides a captive, thermal power plant without clearance. The court has allowed the 1.75-million-tonne cement plant to stay but ordered dismantling of the 60MW power plant.