By Our Correspondent
JODA/KOIRA/BHUBANESWAR: Looting started in Odisha’s mining zone of Joda-Koira in State’s mineral rich Keonjhar and Sundargarh. The big players backed by high premium auction, started manipulating Odisha’s mineral resources. The latest scam could reach Rs 1200 crore if Naveen Patnaik led Government not take action against Sajjan Jindal led JSW Steel Limited in Odisha. The Company had already under scanner of Supreme Court and Enforcement Directorate over the Bhushan Power and Steel Limited acquisition, sources said quoting media reports.
Director of Mines has served show cause notice to JSW Steel. In its show-cause notice to JSW Steel, the Director Mines mentioned that, in Narayanposh iron ore mine, the JSW has dispatched only 2,45,829.58 MT iron ore which is 4,81,853 MT iron ore and 388. 47MT Manganese ore short of the prescribed target of dispatch and, thus, JSW violated Rule 12A(1) of MCR read with Para 8.1and schedule “D” of the MDPA.
In Ganua block, the JSW has dispatched only 34,683.17 MT which is 78,419 .83 MTs short of the prescribed target of dispatch. In case of Nuagaon block , the company dispatched only 2,56,718.98 MT which is 7,53,081 .02 MT short of the prescribed target of dispatch In Jajang block, it dispatched 3,07,173.48 MT which is 17,70,736 .08 MT short of the prescribed target of dispatch. Thus till September 21, the JSW Ltd’ total dispatch shortfall was 30, 84,090.91 MT. Calculating at conservative prices 62-65%Fe grade iron ore at Rs 3,286 per tonne for lumps.
Sajjan Jindal led JSW had won 4 major blocks which earlier held by KJS Ahluwalia Group and Rungta Mines Ltd Group– Nuagaon (won on January 31),Narayanposhi ( won on February 2) and Ganua ( won on February 5) and Jajang ( won January 6) – with total ore reserve of 1,138.34 million tonnes. With the 4 Mines, an iron ore reserves linkage of more than 1,100 million tonnes had been secured for JSW Steel of Sajjan Jindal.
The JSW has violated Rule 12A(1) of MCR, 2016 read with Schedule D of MDPA in ensuring minimum 80% dispatch of the average of the annual production of two immediately preceding years on pro-rata basis from the auctioned mines, which resulted Rs 1,154.68 crore loss to Odisha.
Till September, the JSW failed to dispatch 30, 84,090.91 MT iron ore as per agreement for which the Government lost huge amount of revenue. The Mines Director slapped show cause notice to the JSW for violation of the MCR rule. The Director earlier had written to the JSW to take steps to ensure strict adherence to the above mentioned provision and maintain the prescribed production and dispatch; otherwise it would be liable for action in accordance with the rules.
