Aditya Birla promoted Essel Mining Industries Limited plans to invest Rs 2500 crore in diamond exploration
Aditya Birla promoted Essel Mining Industries Limited has come to a roadblock as National Green Tribunal has asked the state government that there should not be any cutting of trees without forest clearance. The company has plan to invest an amount of Rs 2500 crore in phased manner, according its website.
The issue was raised by an activist PG Najpande since the company is to be grant of mining lease over 364 hac. area in Buxawaha protected forest area, Sogoriya Village, Buxawaha Tahsil, Chhatarpur District in Madhya Pradesh and will cause felling of approximately four lakh of trees.
The national green tribunal, central zone bench has also directed (a copy of the order is available at NGT’s website) the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Madhya Pradesh to “follow the guidelines and provisions” of the Forest Conservation Act, 1980. The tribunal has clearly directed the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Madhya Pradesh shall ensure that there should be no cutting of trees without forest clearance. The respondents, ie, Madhya Pradesh government has been given four weeks time to file reply.
The tribunal has also asked the government authorities concerned to follow the guidelines of TN Godavarman Thirumulpad case.
Essel Mining & Industries Limited (EMIL) had participated in the auction process of Bunder Diamond Block (Mining Lease) in Chhatarpur District of Madhya Pradesh and won the block through competitive bidding.
The company was given a letter of intent for grant of mining lease by the government of Madhya Pradesh in December 2019 for exploring diamond block potentially available in Bunder Diamond Block, which is a Greenfield Mining Project
The project, which is about 80 Kms from Chhatarpur, the district headquarters and 260 Km from Bhopal the state capital, was earlier given to Rio Tinto Exploration India Private Limited – the Indian venture of global diamond company Rio Tinto. The company pulled of the project due to unknown reasons.
The government-owned NMDC (National Mineral Development Corporation) has existing diamond mine is about 175 Kms from the Bunder. According to the government report, the estimated resources in the block are around 53.70 Million Tonne of Kimberlitic Ore. And there is a 34 Million Carats potential for rough diamonds.
The Essel Mining plans to develop a mechanised opencast mine and a modern processing plant with an investment of Rs 2500 crore.
