To Shri Rajiv Gauba Cabinet Secretary Govt of India I have just come across a public notice issued by the Union Ministry of Mines proposing a few far reaching amendments to the Mines & Minerals (Development & Regulation) Act, 1957 (MMDRA). I have enclosed here a copy of the relevant notice [Ministry of Mines No. M VI-1/3/2022- Mines VI dated[Read More…]
‘The development of India may require mining, but are we (the adivasis) not a part of india? We don’t even know who has the mine, or how they acquired it”, -Indu Netam, the convenor of Adivasi Jan Van Adhikar Manch and a member of Mineral Inheritors Rights Association (MIRA) Understanding Mining in India The mining industry in India has[Read More…]
Deomali is a huge bauxite mountain range in Koraput district of Odisha. It is the property of the people of Odisha as a whole. The mountain peak is called Mount Mali. It has 33 fountains. People are living on agriculture and for that they profusely rely on the water of the fountains. The Mali mountain belongs to everyone. So, the[Read More…]
On December 1, 2021, a bench of the Rajasthan High Court comprising Chief Justice Akil Qureshi and justice Sudesh Bansal ordered that notices be sent to the state government over rampant illegal mining of stone in the Thob village of Barmer district in Rajasthan. Over 20 letters have been written to local police, officials of the district administration and the[Read More…]
If a bridge collapses soon after construction, the contractor would be blacklisted. If someone cheats a bank, they will not be allowed to manage public moneys, whether in a bank, mutual fund, insurer or even as a KYC processor. But if someone illegally mines our shared inheritance of mineral wealth, we wonder why there is no such prohibition. India’s National[Read More…]
To Shri Bhupender Yadav Minister Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change (MEFCC) Govt of India Dear Shri Yadav, I refer to your Ministry’s recent decision (https://moef.gov.in/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/scan_1_20211021165307682.pdf) to exempt mine expansion projects from the mandatory requirement of public hearing as a condition precedent to granting statutory environment clearance. In my view, your Ministry’s decision is highly imprudent, as it violates the letter and the[Read More…]
To, The Union Minister of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Govt. of India, New Delhi The Union Minister of Tribal Affairs, Govt. of India, New Delhi The Chief Minister of Odisha, CMO, Bhubaneswar Subject: Halt the Expansion of the Kulda Mines, Odisha; Safeguard the Land and Livelihoods of Adivasis and Ensure Compliance with Environmental Norms. Sirs,[Read More…]
A draft proposing amendments to the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, was released on February 9, 2021 on the website of the Ministry of Mines seeking public comments until February 24. Just as the three new farm laws that are being vigorously opposed by farmers camping on the border of the national capital for nearly three months,[Read More…]
As Chile gets convulsed by the aggravating effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, the structural brutality of copper mining is being starkly outlined. At Codelco or the National Copper Corporation of Chile, approximately 3,000 workers have been infected with Coronavirus and El Teniente and Chuquicamata are the hardest hit regions with 1,044 and 636 cases, respectively. In June itself, unionized workers had reported the suspect[Read More…]
Coordination of Democratic Rights Organisation strongly condemns the arrest of three mine workers Rabi Murmu, Abhimanyu Mohanto and Ramesh Majhi on June 12, 2017 on false and fabricated charges of conspiring to wage a war against the Indian state and inciting violence. We understand this arrest and the imposition of severe charges as an attempt by the ruling BJD and[Read More…]
The gram sabhas have once again given fresh resolutions, supported by their elected representatives, directly to the FAC members. One hopes that the mining companies, the state government, the FAC and MoEF&CC listen to their voices and cancel existing and proposed mines in Gadchiroli. This would be the real celebration of Environment for many years to come and not just on one day in a year!
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Havoc and misery caused by recent floods in Bengaluru, Pakistan and Assam are not only natural disasters but are man made and due to climate change. Over exploitation of urban land and water resources by greedy private real estate developers perhaps the chief cause of floods. Media relentlessly focused on flooded upscale villas, their swanky automobiles of super rich in[Read More…]
