The Odisha High Court on Wednesday uphold the interim stay on the state cabinet’s decision to auction all mining leases of major minerals except coal. Adjudicating a batch of petitions filed by 13 mining companies including Odisha Manganese and Minerals (OMM), a bench of Justices Indrajit Mohanty and Biswanath Rath has pronounced the order. In the last hearing on 12 Apr’15, the High Court bench had ordered to file a fresh affidavit.
Accordingly, in its affidavit, the state government has informed the court that 18 mines has been given lease extension on the basis of the new MMDR act and another 8 mines has been served show cause notice regarding cancellation of lease.
The Odisha cabinet had come up with the resolution (no.458, notified on date 9 Jan’15) to auction all the lapsed mining leases except coal. The decision was taken on the basis of Supreme Court’s order in May’14 for mining leases that are awaiting second and subsequent renewal. However, several miners including Mideast Integrated Steel, Odisha Manganese and Minerals, Aryan Mining, Kalinga Mining Corporation had challenged the cabinet decision in the High Court.
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