By Our Correspondent
NEW DELHI/BHUBANESWAR: Union Steel Secretary Binoy Kumar has requested Odisha Government to speed up the ongoing mining bidding process and complete it by stipulated time frame. Mining leases are expiring by March 31, 2020.
Odisha has so far invited bidding for 20 Iron ore, chrome mines. But issue is after the auction of Iron Ore and Manganese Blocks, the successful Bidders will have to go for Statutory Clearances, which will take at least two to three years.With expiring of Iron Ore Leases by 31 March, 2020, there will be serious disruption of over 50 Million Tons of Raw Material Shortage for the Steel Industries.
Looking at the serious scenario, Ministry of Steel has requested the State Government to direct those Iron Ore Lease Holders, who Leases are not expiring to ramp up production, both Private and Public Sector.
Meanwhile, while Tata Group’s subsidiary TS Alloys has won the biddings of Misrilal Mines and BC Mohanty chrome Mines in Sukinda chromites valley in Jajpur beating Jindal Stainless Steel and 10 more in auction process.
TS Alloys, a Tata SteelNSE 0.65 % subsidiary, has emerged as the highest bidder for the Saruabil chrome deposit in Odisha, currently held by Misrilall Mine Ltd with a bid of 88.5 per cent of the sale value of the mineral. It also won the much smaller Kamarda deposit held by BC Mohanty and Sons with a bid of 96.8 per cent according to those in the know.The current leases come to an end on March 31, 2020 along with Tata Steel’s own Sukinda chrome mine.
Tata Steel has a long history and strong social capital in the chrome valley of Sukinda, home to 97 per cent of India’s chrome reserves. It runs two schools and a hospital inside its colony. The Odisha government while putting Misrilall’s and BC Mohanty’s chrome mines up for auction has decided to reserve Tata Steel’s 406 hectare and 120 metre deep Sukinda mine for a state PSU
