Steel Authority of India (SAIL) is awaiting clearance from the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) for its 2.4-million-tonne-a-year Durgaiburu mine in Jharkhand, which has been non-operational for nearly two years.

Reports indicate that the MoEF has kept Durgaiburu environment clearance (EC) on hold from January 27 last year as the forest clearance (FC) was not ready then. The MoEF gave its forest clearance on August 14, 2012. But the formal environmental clearance has not been yet been granted, reports shows.

The steel ministry on its part took up the matter several times with the MoEF. According to the MoEF norms, the forest clearance should automatically trigger the environmental clearance.

On June 15, 2011, SAIL closed the mine for want of environment clearance. The oldest and largest mechanised (1,443 hectare) mine of the Gua complex in West Singhbhum district is also set for four-fold capacity expansion.

Three smaller mines in the same complex that belongs to SAIL – Jhillingburu-I (210 ha), Jhillingburu-II (36 ha) and Topailore (14 ha) – are also learnt to be out of operation for lack of a green signal from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF).

SAIL’s Bolani mines in Keonjhar district remained closed for a month in (November-December 2012) fpr want of clearance.