Check posts would be set up on Odisha-Jharkhand border to stop illegal mining of iron ore, officials said here today after a meeting of the top officials of the two States.

“Illegal mining has been taking place on revenue and forest land in Manki-Munda command in the bordering areas of the two States. Check posts will be set up within a month,” the Jharkhand Home Secretary, Mr J.B. Tubid, said after the meeting.

“The check posts would be set up to curb illegal transportation of iron ore and identifying routes to carry minerals,” he said.

Andhra’s Khammam Alone Accounts For Almost 50% Loss: FSI Report. India recorded a net loss of 367 sq km of forests between 2009 and 2011, with Khammam district in Andhra Pradesh alone losing 182 sq km of green cover in the period, the latest ‘state of forest’ report has found. The report, prepared biennially by the Forest Survey of India — the Dehradun based wing of the environment and forests ministry — was released on Tuesday.

Garbage from Adityapur has found a new address — the banks of Kharkai, which is one of the major tributaries of Singhbhum’s lifeline Subernarekha.
Two truckloads of domestic waste, equivalent to 400 cubic feet, are being emptied on the waterfront every day, turning the erstwhile oasis into an eyesore and olfactory challenge.

Chandrapura (Bokaro), Feb. 7: Five women — all illegal miners — were buried alive when the roof of a 15ft deep coal pit collapsed on them near Chandrapura junction, 35km from Bokaro steel city, this noon. Two others were injured in the incident. That the mishap took place at Jhungurghuttu, which is a stone’s throw from a bustling railway station and barely 400 metres from the Chandrapura police station, is a clear indication that illegal mining continues unabated in the coal belt region despite the administration’s tall promises to curb the menace.

A routine road trip from Ranchi to Dhanbad was enough for an aghast senior functionary of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to pull up Jharkhand for illegal mining and exploitation of tribals at the hands of the coal mafia. A source told The Telegraph that NHRC secretary-general Rajiv Sharma had visited the state in January.

The Odisha government is considering electronic auctions for iron ore mined in the state as resource-rich but cash-starved states seek to increase their precious revenue to counter rampant illegal mining. A senior state government official told ET that such a proposal is being considering but is at a preliminary stage. Odisha produces about a third of the country’s iron ore leading with players such as Tata Steel, Steel Authority of India, Birla’s Essel Mining, Adhunik Metaliks all owning mines within the state.

The Tummalapalle uranium mine located in YSR district of Andhra Pradesh would be commissioned by early April.

The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) has estimated uranium reserves of the mine at 1.5 lakh tonnes, which are one of the largest in the world.

The DAE Spokesperson, Mr S.K. Malhotra, said that the mine is ready but the uranium processing plants are still under construction, which will take another two months to complete. The mine is a part of the Kadapa basin and has significant reserves of uranium therefore the DAE is concentrating its energies on this area.

Coal belt police have pulled up their socks to wage war against drunken driving and illegal coal mining. Lakshman Prasad Singh, the coal belt DIG, while talking to reporters on Sunday said breath analysers from Dhanbad would be introduced in Bokaro to conduct surprise inspections. Those found guilty will be brought to book.

A large swathe of land at Baharagora in East Singhbhum would sport a green cover by mid-year. The state forest department has taken up a massive water conservation project in the rural block to curb the dependency of locals on forest produce. As part of the project, the forest department will dig four big ponds, two check dams and 32 loose-boulder check dams. Forty hectares of barren land would also be levelled for cultivation.