The Silicon Review ^Asia

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has set up a committee to reassess mining regulations contained in the Management Plan for Sustainable Mining (MPSM) in Saranda and Chaibasa in Singhbhum district, Jharkhand.

The state’s Chief Secretary, DK Tiwari, has written in a letter toMoEFCC that Saranda and Chaibasa in the state’s West Singhbhum district had large iron ore reserves. The Management Plan for Sustainable Mining (MPSM) will be revisited as requested by the minister. MPSM regulates mining in the Saranda Sal forest area and Chaibasa. The Shah Commission had earlier found evidence of illegal mining in the area. The biggest Sal forest in Asia, the Saranda Forest had been a hotbed of leftwing extremism, which led to the formulation of MPSM. A study to reassess or modify MPSM will be conducted by the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) as ordered by the Union Ministry. Verification of boundaries and re-digitization exercise of the forest area, particularly the mineralized zones were recommended by the Committee. The mining, if permitted, will be subjected to stringent terms and conditions.

The study could be conducted for three years. Employment for the local population and revenue to the state were also added to the committee’s terms.