The Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests said in a letter sent to state governments Aug. 3 that all proposals to use forestland for industrial and infrastructure projects must be approved by local administrative bodies. Mining companies, especially those mining coal, are likely to be most affected. According to estimates by the state-run Coal India Ltd., which produces 85 percent of the country's coal, 50,000 hectares (123,600 acres) of forest will have to be set aside for its own exploration and production activities over the next eight years. In June, the Indian ministries of coal and environment agreed to speed up coal exploration and production projects by reducing delays in the granting of forest clearances on degraded forest land (32 INER 615, 7/8/09).
展开▼
机译：印度环境与森林部在8月3日致州政府的一封信中表示，所有将林地用于工业和基础设施项目的提议都必须得到当地行政机构的批准。矿业公司，尤其是那些开采煤炭的公司，受影响最大。根据生产该国85％煤炭的国营印度煤炭公司的估计，在接下来的八年中，将不得不保留50,000公顷（123,600英亩）的森林用于自己的勘探和生产活动。 6月，印度煤炭与环境部同意通过减少对退化林地的森林清理许可的延迟来加快煤炭勘探和生产项目（32 INER 615，7/8/09）。
展开▼
