India shuts 23 iron ore mines
India's biggest iron ore-producing state said yesterday it had withheld permission from 23 mines to operate because they had not supplied proof of environmental and other clearances.
The mines affected by the move by the Orissa government in eastern India are in Keonjhar district, state mining deputy head Umesh Jena said.
Orissa produces some 75 million tonnes annually of iron ore, the key raw material for steel.
"We have asked operators to supply documents like forest clearances, mining leases and surface rights within a week," Jena told AFP.
"Till then, they can't carry on mining", he said.
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