News Brief
Centre's Panel Recommends Green Nod For Expansion Of Lloyds Metals’ Surjagarh Iron Ore Mine In Maoist-Hit Gadchiroli From 10 MTPA To 26 MTPA
Representative image (Deepak G Pawar/The India Today Group/Getty Images)
The Union Environment Ministry’s expert panel has recommended environment clearance for Lloyds Metals and Energy Ltd to expand its Surjagarh iron ore mine in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district from 10 million tonne per annum (MTPA) to 26 MTPA, Indian Express reported.
The iron ore mine expansion nod, significant for Maoist-affected Gadchiroli, follows another recent approval from the Environment Ministry for clearing over 900 hectares of forest for Loyds Metals' ore-washing plant, which will "clean" the iron ore by removing soil and other unwanted bits to produce higher-quality material for steelmaking.
The clearance was granted with both standard and project‐specific conditions, including compliance with a wildlife management and conservation plan, according to the minutes of the EAC meeting held on 15 May, IE reported.
The mine lease is located within the Bhamragad Reserve Forest, an area of hills and plains that’s part of a much larger, continuous forest corridor from Maharashtra into Chhattisgarh.
In April, a sub-committee of the EAC visited the site and made recommendations on how to protect the local wildlife.
An EAC sub-panel visit in April stressed protection of wildlife corridors and ecosystem mobility.
“Given the ecological sensitivity of the Bhamragad reserve forest, the project proponent shall implement recommendations of the wildlife conservation plan in letter and spirit in consultation with the forest department. Periodic monitoring of flora and fauna should be continued in the 10 km radius of the project,” the EAC said, as per the minutes cited in the IE report.
The 348-hectare Surjagarh iron ore mining lease, initially grated to the company in 2007 for 20 years and later extended until 2057, saw delay of years with mining operations commencing only in 2016 due to Maoist threats and tribal protests over forest and land rights.
In December 2016, Maoists torched 69 trucks and three earth movers at the Surjagarh mine in Gadchiroli – one of the biggest arson attacks by the Left Wing Extremists in the region.
The mine has seen violent attack in December —most notably the 2016 Maoist arson that destroyed 69 trucks and three machines.
Earlier, company VP Jaspal Singh Dhillon was allegedly killed by Maoists.
During FY22, the mine produced only 85 per cent of iron ore of its permitted 3 MTPA capacity—due to Maoist-linked disruptions and related security challenges in the region.
Maoist violence in Gadchiroli has been steadily declining, owing to counterinsurgency efforts by Maharashtra’s C60 force and central security operations.
