Six coal mines were ordered closed in Odisha as they were operating without forest clearances, an official said on Sunday. One open cast mine and five underground mines which were asked to shut belong to Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL), a unit of state-run Coal India. The Lajkura open cast mine and five underground mines in the Ib Valley in the district of Jharsuguda, about 400 km from state capital Bhubaneswar, were operating without necessary forest clearances, state’s mines department director D.K. Mohanty told IANS. They will be given permission to resume operation after they obtain the approval, he added. From gulftoday