Odisha ready for auction of four more mines: Minister

The Odisha government is all set to put four more mines on auction under the amended MMDR Act, 2015.

"We are prepared to issue notification for the auction of four mines in 2-3 days. The process has been delayed due to Puja vacations," Odisha's steel and mines minister Prafulla Kumal Mallick told reporters here.

Stating that bidders would be asked to participate in the e-auction process, the Minister said that the four demarcated mines for auction comprised three limestone ones and one manganese mine located in Rayagada, Nuapada and Malkangiri districts.

Replying to a question, Mallick said that the volume of reserve and bidding price of these mines would be part of the notification.

So far, the state government has auctioned only one iron ore mine - the Ghorhaburhani-Sagasahi iron ore block, Mallick said adding Essar Steel bagged the first iron ore block.

In a recent visit to Odisha, Union Mines Secretary Balvinder Kumar had suggested State governments to invite bidders for review meetings so as to know the exact status of necessary clearances and discuss hurdles, if any, with respect to the mineral blocks.

While seven mineral blocks have been put on auction in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha, the Mines Ministry aims to auction at least 30 more by the end of the current financial year, Kumar had said.