Firm to lose mining lease in Ratnagiri

Reports in the Hindustan Times about a city firm illegally mining bauxite ore at Sakhari Velas village in Ratnagiri have prompted the district collector to ask the state government to cancel the company’s mining lease.

Reports in the Hindustan Times about a city firm illegally mining bauxite ore at Sakhari Velas village in Ratnagiri have prompted the district collector to ask the state government to cancel the company’s mining lease.

HT Image

The collector had, earlier this week, issued a notice to Ashapura Minechem Limited asking for an explanation. “We had asked them to respond, which they failed to do. Hence, I have written to the state department asking it to cancel the company’s lease,” Ratnagiri collector MB Gaikwad told HT.

Ashapura Minechem did not respond to calls or messages.

HT had reported that for five years, the company mined ten times more bauxite ore than the MPCB had allowed it to, even after its permission to mine expired. After HT highlighted the issue, the state had asked the collector for a report, which confirmed the violations.

Principal secretary (industries) Aziz M Khan, to whom the collector’s recommendation was addressed, said, “I will have to go through the report before commenting. We will examine this case and if we find the company guilty, we will recommend that the Government of India cancel the lease.”