Slew of decisions taken at high level meeting between Karnataka and ministry of coal and mines
Bengaluru: A host of important decisions were taken on Friday at a high-level meeting here between the State and the ministry of coal and mines including the extension of lease at Donimalai in Ballari district and industrial BGML land for the industrial cluster in Kolar district.
"Some important decisions have been taken after the detailed discussions in the meeting today, especially the extension of the lease period of Donimalai mines and distribution of coal," Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa told reporters after the meeting.
Union Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi was present along with the senior officials of his ministry.
Addressing reporters, Joshi said he has asked Yediyurappa, state revenue minister R Ashoka and State Industries Minister Jagadish Shettar to conduct the physical survey of the land in three months.
Meanwhile, the MECL will also explore the entire area to identify the resources available in six months.
"If the mines are found then the state will be benefited by auctioning it and getting royalty over it. If nothing is found then the land, which is not fit for the mining, will be provided to the department of industries for creating an industrial park," Joshi said.
Another major decision taken in the meeting was straightaway giving the G-4 level composite license while auctioning mines instead of time-consuming G-2 level of auction.
This will not only benefit Karnataka but other states as well because the G-4 license means Prospective Licence-cum-Mining Licence.
"After obtaining PL-cum-ML, once you start the work if there is a mineral, you can go ahead, or else there is an exit route also. In that exit route, the only condition is that you should share the data with us," the Union Minister who is also MP from Dharwad, told reporters.
Joshi said the Centre has decided to address the Baranj coal mine project, which is pending for many years.
The mine was given to the Karnataka government many years ago but due to the Mine Development Operatory issues, the exploration did not happen, he added.
Later, the Karnataka government took a decision to resume the mining activities and sent the proposal to the Centre, which has been approved, Joshi said.
Addressing the coal theft issue, a coal controller has been sent by the ministry.
Besides this, the ministry will make an assessment and send it to the Maharashtra government by settling the royalty issue to resume the mining activities at the earliest, the union minister said.
It was also decided in the meeting to ask the Chief Managing Director to reconsider the coal prices sent from Singri mines to Karnataka.
To address the slippage of the grade of coal affecting the thermal power generation, it was decided to set up a better sampling and testing system so that the coal quality is maintained throughout.
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Chhattisgarh: Couple, two grandchildren killed over 'property' dispute; two relatives held
Janjgir (Chhattisgarh) (PTI): An elderly couple and their two grandchildren were allegedly murdered by two close relatives to grab family property in Chhattisgarh’s Janjgir-Champa district, police said on Thursday.
The couple’s one son, who had earlier spent 15 years in jail for killing his own brother, and his son have been taken into custody in connection with the murders, an official said.
The bodies were found inside their under-construction house in Bhanvtara village under the jurisdiction of the Shivrinarayan police station after labourers reached the site for work in the morning, a senior police official said.
The deceased were identified as Medani Prasad Kashyap (70), his wife Kanti Bai (65), their grandchildren Pitambar Kashyap (17) and Mogra (25).
The deceased couple’s son, Sonsai, and his son Dakeshwar have been taken into custody in connection with the murders, the official said.
According to the preliminary investigation, Medani Prasad had three sons, including Sonsai. Police said Sonsai had murdered one of his brothers in the past and had served a 15-year jail term in the case, while the couple’s third son had reportedly died by suicide.
Sonsai and his son Dakeshwar, alias Golu, allegedly killed his parents and the children of his two deceased brothers with an axe while they were asleep in the under-construction house, he said.
Pitambar was the only son of one deceased brother, while Mogra was the only daughter of another, the official said.
The accused allegedly wanted sole ownership of the family property and are suspected of having committed the crime to eliminate other claimants, police said.
A case has been registered, and further investigation is underway, the official added.
