Odisha government will examine the eligibility conditions of 18 merchant Iron ore and Manganese mines that are awaiting renewal, as per the MMDR (Amendment) Ordinance 2015, before taking any decision, Odisha Director of Mines, Deepak Mohanty said. He was speaking during the orientation meeting on MMDR (Amendment) Ordinance.
As per Ordinance, the concept of mining lease renewal has been abolished. So we’ll ask for clarification for the lease renewals for which we’ve already started the processing complying the Supreme Court order. On the other hand, Centre has clarified that the states will decide the terms and conditions of mining leases. So we’ll examine the eligibility of mines including 18 mines before permitting them to resume operation or put them on auction, he added further.
On behalf of the union mines ministry, Joint Secretary Naresh Kumar explained various aspects of Ordinance to the state government officials, miners and steelmakers.
The Eastern Zone Mining Association (EZMA) has demanded that the transitional period for the non-captive mines should also be extended to 15 years like the captive mines. Moreover, like captive mines, non-captive miners should also be given right to first refusal.
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