Govt gives forest clearance for 12 coal mines in past 2 months

NEW DELHI: The government has granted environment clearance for as many as 12 coal mines in the past two months.

The ministry of environment and forests, after scrutinising conditions fulfilled, has issued the approvals, some of which include forest clearances, for about 10-12 mine blocks over the past two months, sources said.

One of the blocks is the Mahan coal mine in Madhya Pradesh, the sources said. Essar Energy has received forest clearance for the Mahan coal block, the company said in a statement.

The other mines include Tokisud North in Jharkhand (GVK Power), Mandla North in Madhya Pradesh (Jaiprakash Associates), Utkal B1 and B2 in Odisha (Jindal Steel & Power, Monnet Ispat & Energy, respectively), Jamkhani in Odisha (Bhushan Steel & Power), and Mandakini in Odisha (Ispat/Jindal/Tata).

Mahan Coal Ltd, an equal joint venture between Essar Power and Hindalco that will operate the Mahan block, has to fulfil certain other conditions before it can begin the mining operations, the company said without elaborating.

According to the sources, the conditions include compensatory afforestation.

At an estimated peak output of 8.5 million tonnes of coal, the Mahan mine will feed the 1,200 MW generation capacity of Essar Energy and a 900 MW project of Hindalco.

Environmental action group Greenpeace had asked the central government to cancel the allotment of the Mahan block, alleging it had been awarded in 2006 in an opaque manner.

Environment minister Veerappa Moily, who took over on December 24, approved projects worth Rs 1.5 lakh crore in the first three weeks and said last month that he plans to clear the backlog by mid-February.