Express (August 09, 2011)
Lafarge Umiam Mining Private Limited (LUMPL) is likely to restart ferrying limestone from the north-eastern Indian state of Meghalaya to its cement plant at Chhatak in Sylhet through a 17-kilometre-long conveyer belt any day this week, reports Bdnews24.com.
According to news published on the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) website on Sunday, the firm started mining operations in its limestone mine in Meghalaya on Friday.
Lifting a ban it imposed 17 months back, India's Supreme Court on July 6 allowed French multi-national Lafarge to resume limestone mining at Nongtrai in East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya, paving the way for resumption of supply of raw materials to the cement plant at Chhatak.
The court upheld the legality of the 2010 clearance by the India's Ministry of Environment and Forest to the Lafarge for limestone mining at Nongtrai.
India's apex court had in Feb 2010 halted limestone mining by the LUMPL in Meghalaya. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Lafarge Surma Cement Limited or LSCL.
The LUMPL had earlier been transporting limestone mined from Nongtrai to the cement plant of the LSCL and Spanish company Cementos Molins at Chhatak by a 17-kilometre long cross-border conveyer belt. The LSCL plant at Chhatak has a capacity of producing 1.5 metric tonnes (MT) of cement.
The Bangladesh government on March 2 last year wrote to the Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka expressing concern over Supreme Court's ban on mining of limestone and consequent disruption in supply of raw materials to the cement plant at Chhatak.
The Lum Mawshun Minerals Private Limited had first got the clearance for the mining project from the forest department of the state government of Meghalaya.
The clearance was transferred to the LUMPL in 2002. But the clearance given to Lum Mawshun Minerals Limited came under doubt after the state government's Chief Conservator of Forest in 2007 noted that the mining project was located in the midst of natural forest.
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