By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR/JODA: BJP MLA from Keonjhar and Legislature Party Chief Whip Mohan Majhi has demanded sale of an estimated 16.5 million tonnes of iron ore worth an estimated Rs 10,000 Crore left unsold because of the Covid-19 situation.
BJP MLA Majhi said the State Government must sell the unsold iron ore and avail employment to local youths. Majhi said a group of BJP legislators have written a letter to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Union Coal and Mining Minister Prahllad Joshi and Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Minister to intervene in this issue.
He said that before Covid-19, it was estimated that there were 58,000 MT of iron ore, out of which 16.5 MT is now unsold.According to the MMDR Act, the unsold ore could be stored up to seven months. Of the 16.5 MT of iron ore, 8.5 MT is lying at Nuagaon in Keonjhar district.
Majhi alleged that because of lack of imitative of the State Government, Odisha is going to lose revenue of Rs 10,000 crore. He further stated that despite a High Court ruling that the Mines Principal Secretary would take a call on the issue, he has decided that there would no extension in mine leasing.
Meanwhile, considering the second wave of COVID-19 and impact of first wave, the Naveen Patnaik led Government in Odisha had proposed enabling former mining lease holders whose lease period expired by March 31 2020, to evacuate and liquidate stocks of iron ore lying in lease hold area but extracted before the expiry of their leases.
Earlier, the Government had stipulated that former mining lease holders would have 7 months from the date of expiry of leases to evacuate and liquidate all iron ore stocks extracted before the end of lease terms, until October, 2020.
Meanwhile, due to COVID-19 first and second waves since March 2020, former lease holders said, they had not been able to evacuate stocks extracted during tenure of their leases.It may be noted here that earlier , Odisha Director of Mines had asked former lease holders to evacuate their stocks.
