Bhubaneswar: There may not be any e-auction of Chrome ore during this month owing to the strike at the South Kaliapani Chrome mines of the Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) located at Sukinda in Jajpur district. The workers have completely halted mining and transportation work since 1st October, demanding better payment and permanent jobs in the government owned company.
The last Chrome e-auction was held on 11th of September, and as per the rules the next e-auction should be conducted within 45 days. The company had tentatively decided to conduct the auction on 15th of this month for selling of 1 lakh tonnes of Chrome ore (friable and Concentrate). But given the situation at the mines site the possibility of the e-auction has become grim.
“We had earlier decided to conduct the e-auction on 15th for sale of 1 lakh tonnes of Chrome, but due to the strike the date has been cancelled and no new date has been decided yet,” said an official of the company.
As per sources the tribal leader and social activist Tulsi Munda, who is taking leadership on behalf of the agitating workers, is scheduled to meet Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Pattnaik on the 20th of this month to discuss on several issues in the mining areas. It is expected that she will raise this issue before the CM.
Experts say even if the issue gets solved during the meeting, and strike calls off, it'll take another 15 to 20 days to raise the required amount of (1 lakh) Chrome ore as per the target set by the Company.
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