Latest news with #MinesandGeology
Hans India
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hans India
Famous regional delicacies are special attractions
Machilipatnam: As part of Masula Beach Festival-2025, currently underway at Manginapudi Beach in Machilipatnam, Minister for Excise, Mines and Geology, and Resources Kollu Ravindra on Friday inaugurated the Heli-rides alongside district Collector DK Balaji. Following the inauguration, they took a helicopter ride to inspect the beach's surrounding areas and assess any traffic issues for tourists visiting Masula Beach. Various types of food stalls, food courts, fast food outlets, and biryani stalls featuring renowned dishes from different regions have been set up at the Festival. A special stall has been dedicated for tasting Bandaru Laddu and Bandaru Halwa, which have brought unique recognition to Bandaru and are famous worldwide. The immense crowds visiting the beach festival are relishing the taste of Bandaru Laddu. Stalls have also been set up for Madugula Halwa from Anakapalli district and special dishes from the Godavari districts. Under the supervision of the District Department of Industries, stalls have been set up for imitation jewellery, micro-plating ornaments, beverages, fruit pulp, and coir cashew. Additionally, stalls have been arranged under the aegis of ALEAP (Association of Lady Entrepreneurs of AP), featuring special dishes from Godavari districts and lace sales. The District Handlooms and Textiles department has organised an exhibition and sale of famous handloom textiles from various parts of the state. There is a Special APCO textiles stall and Vijaya Krishna Milk Union Dairy Products. A stall set up by the District Legal Services Authority is providing information about free legal aid and raising awareness about various laws. Under the supervision of DRDA and MEPMA, products made by women's self-help groups are being exhibited and sold. The Giant Wheel and Columbus rides are standing out as special attractions among the amusement options.
New Indian Express
28-05-2025
- New Indian Express
Justice league: HC orders conditional release of granites seized in Nalgonda
HC orders conditional release of granites seized in Nalgonda Justice K Lakshman of the Telangana High Court has directed the authorities to verify the nature of granite slabs seized by the assistant director of Mines and Geology, Nalgonda, and ordered conditional release of the vehicle and goods if they are found to be finished products. Justice Lakshman was hearing a writ petition filed by Kanumuri Sunadham of Palnadu district in Andhra Pradesh, seeking release of his lorry and the granite slabs it was transporting, which were seized by the respondent authorities citing lack of proof of royalty payment on the mineral used. According to the petitioner, the vehicle was carrying 4,950 sqft of polished granite slabs from Bhuvanagiri Enterprises in Markapur, Andhra Pradesh, to a buyer named Mahesh in Pune, Maharashtra. The goods were supported by a tax invoice dated March 20, 2025, and a valid e-way bill. Despite submitting the invoice and other necessary documents, including vehicle registration, permit, and insurance papers, the authorities detained the vehicle under a notice dated March 28, 2025, demanding payment of approximately Rs 1.76 lakh as penalty unless the source of procurement was disclosed. The petitioner argued that since the goods were finished products and not raw minerals, royalty payment documents were not applicable. He contended that seizing the vehicle despite producing all required GST-compliant documents was illegal and arbitrary.
New Indian Express
17-05-2025
- New Indian Express
Upa Lokayukta uncovers major violations in Kolar stone quarries, orders case against 18 officials
BENGALURU: The recent visit of Upa Lokayukta Justice B Veerappa to the villages in Tekal hobli of Malur taluk in Kolar district has revealed shocking findings about a dozen stone quarries and stone-crushing units excavating more than 300 ft deep, violating norms like exceeding permissible digging limits and lack of safety measures and border stones and fencing, among others. Justice Veerappa ordered a case against 18 officials of the Mines and Geology, Public Works, Revenue, Survey, Labour departments, Bescom, Regional Transport Officer, Environment Officer and others of the district and issued notice to them. Among other violations, a stone-crushing unit is running in 186, Makarahalli, even after the expiry of the lease in 2021. Justice Veerappa sought details like how many stone quarries and crushers are licensed and how many are operating without permits, illegal mining, and transport of murram and sand. Apart from this, he also directed them to furnish other details, such as whether a Mineral Dispatch Permit under Rule 42(1) of the KMCC Rules is issued and is being regularly supervised; if there are violations, how many cases are registered; whether all vehicles for the transport of minor minerals are registered for that purpose; and cases registered for non-installation of GPS and violation of prescribed routes for transport of minor minerals.
Hindustan Times
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Haryana charges 6 officials over illegal Aravalli mining in Nuh
The Haryana government has formally acknowledged large-scale illegal mining in Rawa village of Nuh district, dating back to 2011. Acting on a geospatial probe, the state has charged six senior officials from the Department of Mines and Geology under Rule 7 of the Haryana Civil Services (Punishment and Appeal) Rules for their alleged role in the mining. An area where illegal mining used to take place at Panchgaon village in Nuh. (HT Archive) The officials named in the government communique include Assistant Mining Officer R.S. Thakran and Mining Officers Bhupender Singh, BD Yadav, Rajender Prasad, Anil Kumar, and Anil Atwal. The probe, ordered by Commissioner and Secretary, Mines and Geology, T.L. Satya Prakash, found that around 25 acres of Aravalli hill land in Haryana's revenue territory had been illegally mined by leaseholders from Rajasthan. The excavation spanned from November 2011 to January 2025, resulting in the loss of over 80 lakh tonnes of Aravalli stone. 'While taking strict cognisance of the illegal mining activities, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has directed that six officers of the Mining Department be charge-sheeted. He has also ordered action against staff from the Panchayat and Forest Departments found complicit in the case,' the state government said in a statement. The crackdown follows a complaint alleging excess extraction in Rawa village, located in Ferozepur Jhirka tehsil. Subsequent departmental investigations confirmed the illegal operations. Despite multiple attempts, Satya Prakash and director general of Mining, Pandurang did not respond to HT's request for a comment. Environmental activists have long flagged unchecked mining in fragile Aravalli zones like Nuh, warning of severe ecological consequences. A senior official, requesting anonymity, said the Rawa case could be 'just the tip of the iceberg', with more action expected in the coming weeks.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Why the world's biggest mining project is looking to invest in education
The world's largest mining project will begin production by the end of the year, Guinea's mining minister told Semafor, after decades of delays — with 5% of eventual revenues earmarked to expand the country's education system. Initial shipments from the Simandou mountain range in southeast Guinea — home to the planet's largest high-grade iron ore deposits — are due to begin by the first quarter of 2026, Minister of Mines and Geology Bouna Sylla said on the sidelines of the Mining Indaba conference in Cape Town. The ambition to boost Guinean education with mining profits is the latest attempt to project how Africa stands to benefit from its natural resources, which are otherwise typically shipped elsewhere for refining: Sylla likened his government's plans to those rolled out in previous generations by Southeast Asian nations, singling out Singapore in his comparison. The British-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto and China's Baowu Steel are among the companies that have partnered with the Guinean government on the $15 billion project. Guinea's plan to earmark revenues from its natural resources marks an acknowledgment of the skills gap — particularly around science and technology — that is holding back economic development in many African countries. Guinea, for example, currently only spends 2% of its GDP on education, barely half the global average, and well below the 3.5% typical of sub-Saharan African nations. That could be about to change as part of a broader trend. About 30% of global mineral reserves can be found in Africa, and politicians from across the continent say they want this wealth to improve their citizens' lives, avoiding the experience of previous governments in the scramble for the region's resources. Countries are adopting different approaches: Ghana wants to use its iron ore deposits — which are of a lower grade than Guinea's — to boost local building construction. Elsewhere in West Africa, the aim is simply to redress the balance with international companies in revenue-sharing agreements. In Guinea's case, Sylla said 5% of the tax revenues generated at each of the two mines at the Simandou site would be allocated to Guinea's education system, over the next 25 years, starting from the launch of production — funding that would come on top of the usual education budgetary allowance. Under a separate program, the government plans to allocate 20% of state revenue earned from La Compagnie du TransGuinéen (CTG) — a joint venture that manages railway and port infrastructure built as part of the Simandou project — to fund high school students studying science and engineering abroad, also over 25 years. Our 'long-term sustainable investment is in human capital,' Sylla told me. 'This is to invest in a new generation so that when the resources finish, people can come to Guinea to invest not because we have natural resources but human capital — technicians and engineers — like Singapore.' Still, all of this will take time. The Simandou project has been beset by nearly 30 years of delays, and Guinea's education program will take at least a generation to bear fruit. The government hopes its plans will show all of this has been worth the wait. Sylla said 120 million tonnes of iron ore — used in steel production — will eventually be produced annually from Simandou, but it will take up to three years to ramp up to this capacity. He also said Guinea aims to transform iron ore to steel in a local plant that will produce 500,000 tonnes of steel per year. In the bauxite sector, the minister said Guinea will produce alumina and then aluminium. Guinea signed an agreement last month with a Chinese company to produce 1.2 million tonnes per year of alumina that he said is expected to be ready by the end of 2027. Gracelin Baskaran, director of the critical minerals security program at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, said production at Simandou 'will give Guinea a lot of value in the world of commercial diplomacy because we want more iron ore that's not going to China.' But she said the climate skepticism of the new Trump administration meant Simandou's high- grade iron ore — which results in lower carbon emissions in the steelmaking process as a result of its higher quality — will enter a 'bifurcated' market. 'You have the EU, where decarbonization is important,' and 'America, where that is not important right now,' she said. 'When you sell to Europe, you can sell at a price premium because you're responsibly sourced. Nobody in America is going to pay that now.' Euronews examines why it took Rio Tinto to edge towards production at Simandou. South Africa's mining minister said the country should withhold access to its minerals after the US president threatened to withdraw funding over a new land law.
