Duty evasion in iron ore exports to China: SC seeks reply from Centre, 61 companies on PIL Harshest decades’ winter in Valley

NEW DELHI: The SC has sought responses from the Centre and 61 iron exporting firms including Essar Steel and Jindal Steel & Power on a PIL seeking a direction to the CBI to register an FIR and probe the alleged duty evasion by them in exporting iron ore to China since 2015.

A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde took note of the submissions of lawyer and PIL petitioner M L Sharma that the companies be prosecuted for alleged evasion of export duty by declaring wrong tariff code to export the iron ore under the Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act, 1992.

"Issue notice," said the bench which also comprised Justices Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian.

SRINAGAR: Extreme cold accompanied with chilly winds from snow clad maintains have forced people in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh not to venture out in the morning on Friday.

Locals across the valley are complaining of water pipes bursts, extremely slippery roads and lanes, in addition to an erratic electric supply during the harshest part of this winter.

Water surfaces all around are frozen rock solid and locals and tourists have been venturing out on the frozen surface of the Dal Lake in Srinagar. Authorities have issued warning to people undertaking this misadventure as it is fraught with grave risk to life.

"The layer of frozen water can crack under the weight of anybody who moves around on it. That entails great risk to life", district officials said in Srinagar. The minimum temperature in -8.4°C on is higher

Srinagar was Thursday, which than -8.3°C in 1995.

On Friday, Srinagar recorded -7.6, Pahalgam -8.6 and Gulmarg -5.5 as the minimum temperature. Leh town had -12, Kargil -17.6 and Drass -25.3°C.