CBI registers PE against JSPL for mining in forest land

The CBI Friday registered a preliminary enquiry (PE) against Jindal Steel and Power Limited (JSPL) and some unknown officials in the union ministry of environment and forests in connection with diversion of forest land for mining between 2007 and 2013.

CBI sources confirmed that the agency has registered a PE in the alleged irregularities in diverting forest land for mining purposes in Saranda forest in Jharkhand.

"A proper First Information Report (FIR) will be registered soon," said a source in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The ministry of environment and forests, in a letter issued to the Jharkhand forest department in the month of March, said its Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) will not consider any new proposal for forest land diversion in Saranda, other than projects that are already before FAC.

The state has been instructed to prepare a mine lease map and mine reclamation model for the area in GIS domain and commission a study on the impact of mining in the Saranda forest on the rivers Karo and Koina.

The Saranda forest is a dense forest in the hilly region of West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand. The forest and the adjoining areas form a part of the core zone of the Singhbhum Elephant Reserve.