India: Iron Ore Production up by 8% in Odisha M-o-M

Odisha, which is the largest Iron ore producing state in the country with an annual production of around 65 MnT, has noticed an uptrend in production by around 8% according to latest data released by Mining Department, Odisha.

Odisha’s total production stood at 7.8 MnT in Mar’14 against 7.2 MnT in Feb’14. Sarda mines, TISCO, Serajuddin and SAIL contributed higher production.

Odisha Iron Ore Production

Production in ‘000 tonnes
Source- Ministry of Mines, Odisha

Miners fear Closure on Deemed Renewal

The recent Supreme Court (SC) ruling on mining in Goa, holding that deemed mining licenses can be valid for not more than 20 years, is likely to hurt some Iron ore & Manganese mines in Odisha operating under similar provisions.

Miners fear that they may face temporary closure notice by the state government, which will be decided on crucial hearing by the Supreme Court on 28 Apr, 2014.

Under Section 24-A (6) of Mineral Concession Rules (MCR) 1960, if a miner has applied for lease renewal a year before the expiry and the state government fails to expedite renewal applications within due date, the miner will be considered to be operating under extension of lease validity.