The Odisha government is trying to fix the problems of the mineral and mining industry, which is passing through a challenging period for the last few years, a senior bureaucrat of the state has said.

[su_quote]“We are trying to fix the problems faced by the Odisha mining and mineral based industry. We have taken several steps to solve the problems of the industry and we are hopeful that we’ll be able to bring stability in the sector “said state steel and mines secretary G.Srinibas.[/su_quote]

He further added that there have been some positive signs in the state mineral sector with mineral production have registered a year-on-year growth of 30% by end of November.

The mining sector of the state went through a turbulent phase after allegation of large scale illegal mining come into light. Apart from the probe by Justice MB Shah Commission into the allegations, several policy changes of the state government like restriction of production only to captive requirement, enforcement of stamp duty have put the industry on the back foot. Last year, the state government had also slapped notices for imposing penalty to the tune of Rs.70, 000 crore for raising minerals beyond the approved limit of the Indian Bureau of Mines.

According to government data out of total 600 mining leases in the state, only 128 mines are operating, the rest 472 mines have been shut down due to various regulatory and statutory issues.