SAIL's iron ore mine at Gua in Jharkhand may reopen soon
after 9 months of closure. Extraction at Gua had stopped on June 15 last year
in the absence of environment and forest clearance.
Gua mines is among the oldest mechanised facilities of SAIL,
produces 2.4 million tonnes a year, which is being now expanded to 10 mt.
SAIL sources confirmed that the operations at Gua might
resume shortly as a major technical hurdle had been overcome. The Union
Ministry of Environment and Forests had made Gua's clearance conditional on
Jharkhand placing a detailed report on Saranda forest division where Gua mines
are located.
A senior State Government official said that Jharkhand lost
substantial revenue from Gua this fiscal owing to the stoppage of operations.
“A comprehensive wildlife and biodiversity management plan
for the Saranda region is ready and would be submitted to the Union Ministry of
Forests and Environment shortly,” said a Jharkhand official.
Source: The Business Line
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