By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: Purheibahal Iron Ore Block becomes 6th of the 11 put for Auction in Odisha on Saturday with premium started at 81% and till last report came till 12.45PM, the figure reached at 81.20%. Rungta Mines Limited, AMNS, Eseel Mining, Ramgad Minerals, TP Sao and Sons, Amalgam Steel and Shyam Metaliks, are in race with Rungta Group heading the list in financial bidding. Already 5 blocks auctioned and 6th block put for auction.
Jharkhand’s Chaibasa Headquarters’’ Rungta Mines Limited, seems, off late , became aggressive on virgin blocks and the Merchant miner, which lost half dozen running blocks, in last and on-going auctions, may likely go more aggressive on Purheibahal Iron Ore Block and as well as Chandipisi block, which is on line for auction in next round . Both these two blocks, are more suitable for Rungta Mines Limited as its Kamanda plant close it . Both blocks shares a distance of 8 km and 4km from Koira in Sundargarh.
“Both these blocks have good resources and so, also close to RML’s Kamanda plant , the company have already lost, blocks including Jajang, Siljoda, Tehrai, Nadidih (Freegrade) , Nadidih (BICO),Kalmanga, Katasahi and Kanther Koira, which is about 8 running blocks,” a Jharkhand based Mines Owner having operations in Joda-Koira circles, told over phone adding RML requires long-term raw materials for trading and well as to feed its plants and expansion works in Odisha and Jharkhand.
He also said after RML won Jumka Pathiriposhi Pahar Iron Ore Block , the 5th Mines Block auctioned so far, by submitting highest financial bid of 86% for the said block and finally winning it in auction at a premium of 110.15 Percent, the Rungta Group has changed its mind set, he added.
Apart from RML, MSPL baldotra 85.50%, Aditya Birla Group’s Essel Mining and Industries Limited 68.15%, Arcelor Mittal 65.15%, JSPL 63%, Shyam Metaliks 63% and Vedanta 60%, were also in the race for the block, but RML put the highest bid at a premium of 110.15 Percent at the close of the auction for Jumka Pathiriposhi Pahar Iron Ore Block.
It may be noted here that Rungta Mines Limited (RML) is expanding its Integrated Steel Plant from 0.27 MTPA to 0.9 MTPA capacity at Kamanda village in Sundargarh district with a total investment of Rs 2135 crore, providing additional employment of 2289 people.
Earlier, Tata Group had won Gandhalpada Iron Ore Virgin Block at a Premium of 141.25 Percent. Gandhalpada Iron Ore virgin Block, was the 4th Block among 11 put for auction on Wednesday, in which Financial Bid started at a premium of 88.5 % and till 09.56 PM on Thursday, the figure touched at 141.25% with Tata Group winning the block. Of the 7 Virgin iron ore blocks, Gandhalpada block in Keonjhar district has the highest ore reserve of 314.37 MT, for which all major players interested to bag it.
So far, Vedanta Group’s ESL bagged 2 blocks of Nadidih Iron Ore and Manganese Block (FEEGRADE at a premium of 92.30 % and Nadidih Iron Ore Block (BICO) at a premium of 95.6% while Naveen Jindal led Jindal Steel and Power Limited had bagged the Kasia Iron Ore-Dolomite Mines block under Joda mining circle in Odisha’s mineral rich Keonjhar at a premium of 118.1%.
The Odisha government had put the auction of Karlapat iron ore and bauxite block on hold till further notice following a court order. Karlapat was among the 11 mineral blocks, including seven virgin mines, put up for auction by the Odisha government for which the bidding process underway. As the block lies near the Karlapat Wildlife Sanctuary, a designated elephant corridor in Kalahandi district considered ecologically very sensitive, environmentalists were opposed to the mining operation in the area
