Chiria issue resolved, SAIL to get priority

The see-sawing battle over the Chiria iron ore mines between state-run giant Steel Authority of India Limited SAIL and the Jharkhand government, which has witnessed many tumultuous phases, is all set to get resolved with state chief minister Shibu Soren saying the PSU will be accorded due priority in the allocation of the said mines. Both SAIL and the state are currently locked in a legal battle on the mines in the Jharkhand High Court.

Emerging from a meeting with Soren in Ranchi, steel minister Ram Vilas Paswan said, 8220;8217;Priority in allotting iron ore from the Chiria mines will be given to the SAIL8230; And a decision to this effect will be taken by next month.8221; But Soren also sought to allay apprehensions among private investors, saying they would also be accommodated once SAIL8217;s needs have been taken care of. A delighted Paswan said, 8220;8217;I am happy that Shibu Soren has agreed to SAIL8217;s claim on the Chiria mines after two former chief ministers, Arjun Munda and Madhu Koda, did not consider the claim 8212; with Koda even ignoring the Prime Minister8217;s advice to consider SAIL8217;s claim.8221;8217; SAIL has staked claim on two billion tonnes of the reserves of the mines whose total reserves are three billion tonnes.

8220;We are extremely happy at this announcement. We have ambitious plans in Jharkhand and are determined to complete them in time, for which raw material security is crucial,8221; SAIL chairman Sushil Kumar Roongta told The Indian Express.

However, it was unclear whether the issue would be resolved out-of-court as neither Paswan nor Soren indicated anything of that sort. Paswan only said, 8220;8217;We have to see what can be done.8221; The battle over Chiria had reached its nadir recently, with Paswan saying that he would write to the Prime Minister to acquire Chiria through an ordinance as the state was repeatedly ignoring the Centre8217;s advice in this connection.

Notably, the steel giant is ramping up the production capacity of its Bokaro unit to 7.5 million tonnes at a cost of Rs 12,000 crore.