Odisha government has urged MoEF to permit Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) to continue its operation at four mines (Iron ore and Chrome ore) beyond Jan’15.
Bhubaneswar: As four of OMCs mines are heading for a temporary shutdown, the Odisha government has urged the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests to relax some of the stipulations and allow the mines to continue operation till the forest clearances are obtained. Kurmitar, another Iron ore mine of OMC, is already closed due to not obtaining forest clearance.
The four mines of OMC – Gandhamardan, Daitari Iron ore mines, Sukrangi mines and South Kaliapani Chrome mines have forest clearances for the entire mining area by 31 Jan, 2015. Though, the company’s applications in this regard are under consideration at the ministry, it is unlikely that the applications will be cleared within this time frame.
In Feb’13, the ministry had issued a guideline for mining lease holders to obtain forest clearance for the entire lease area by 31 Jan, 2014.
Applications’ Status
OMCs applications for forest clearance for these Iron ore and Chrome mines are in different stages at the ministry. The proposal for Daitari was received by the ministry on 5 Jan, 2015. Similarly, the proposal for Gandhamardan block-A was received by the ministry on 17 Dec, 2014 and for Sukrungi Chromite mines on 6 Dec, 2014. Meanwhile, the application for Kurmitar mine is pending at the state government.
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