The Karnataka government has put five iron-bearing mines for e-auction, as per latest reports. Four mines have deposits of iron ore while one has both iron and manganese ore. The government is using the MSTC platform for the e-auction. The Supreme Court had previously cancelled certain ‘C’ category mines in the state on account of illegal mining and had directed the state government to auction the mines for end users.
Eligibility criteria: Only end users engaged in the production of sponge iron and/or pig iron, steel, and pellets are eligible to take part in the auction. A consortium of companies are not eligible to take part in the auction.
Interested and eligible bidders can register at the MSTC website. The registered bidders will have to purchase mine-specific tender documents on MSTC website by paying INR 2 lakh + GST.
The sale of tender documents on the government’s website commenced on 31 Aug. The last date for sale of tender document on MSTC website is 7 Oct’21. The last date for submission of technical bids along with initial price offer is by 5 pm on 16 Oct’21.
The physical copies of the technical bids must reach the Tender inviting authority i.e., Director, Department of Mines and Geology, Government of Karnataka on or prior to 17:00 hrs IST on16 Oct. The announcement of technically qualified bidders is expected on 28Oct and preferred bidder is expected to be announced between 4 & 10 Nov’21.
Timeline of key events in the mine auction
Source: DMG
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