BHOPAL: Satpura-Maikal landscape of central India-- largest natural habitat of tigers in the world - will no longer remain one big entity, if coal mining is allowed in Madhya Pradesh's Chhindwara district.

Ironically, state forest minister Sartaj Singh finds him in a fix with experts on both sides- those in favour of coal mining or protecting corridor for the sake of striped big cat population-divided on the issue.

A provision in the law is going to impact a large number of people who have been protesting against acquisition of land for decades

The land Bill to be tabled in Parliament this week would renew hope for ‘victims’ of many a pending land acquisition case, forcing project owners to pay fresh compensation to evacuees. It is also feared that it would open a Pandora’s Box of litigation, as well as reopen cases that are decades old. The provision in Clause 24 of the law is going to impact a large number of people who have been protesting against acquisition of their land for decades, in places such as Chhindwara and the Narmada valley in Madhya Pradesh and also in Odisha, not to mention Uttar Pradesh’s Bhatta-Parsaul, a place whose cause was taken up by Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi himself. Hence, the Bill is set to be a pre-election bonanza for many aggrieved people.

The coal ministry on Tuesday approved the deallocation of captive blocks held by SKS Ispat and Bhushan Steel, based on the recommendations of an inter-ministerial group (IMG) reviewing progress on the blocks. At a meeting on Tuesday, the panel also recommended deallocating a block being developed by Bihar Sponge.

SKS Ispat’s Rawanwara North block and Bhushan Steel’s New Patrapara block, deallocated on Tuesday by Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal, together hold reserves of 1,216 mt. SKS Ispat was recently in news after its name figured in the alleged allocation scam. Tourism Minister Subodh Kant Sahay’s brother Sudhir Kant Sahay is an executive director in the company.

Heavy rain and floods have so far claimed 31 lives in the State prompting the Government to allocate additional funds of Rs12.47 crore for the flood-affected 23 districts.

A large population, especially children, in 27 of the 50 Madhya Pradesh districts are threatened by the fluorosis menace as people in these districts are being forced to drink water with excessive

The SC deadline for notifying buffer areas around each tiger reserve is being cheered by the greens. But court orders alone cannot alter the grim ground reality. A primer
HOW

Farmers in large numbers demonstrated at the State Assembly here on Thursday under the banner of Kisan Sangharsh Samiti (KSS) to get back acquired land and cancellation of Adani Pench Power Project

Degraded bamboo forests in 7,800 hectare area were upgraded by 789 beneficiary families during the year 2011 under land erosion prevention project being implemented in the State with the cooperatio

The State Cabinet on Wednesday decided to make available Government security worth Rs387.40 crore under Integrated Housing and Slums Development Programme and Basic Services for Urban Poor.