2 min readBhubaneswarSep 22, 2012 01:20 AM IST
First published on: Sep 22, 2012 at 01:20 AM IST
No private company would henceforth be able to secure a mining lease in Orissa for major minerals such as iron ore,bauxite,manganese and chromite with the Orissa government passing a resolution under which the areas bearing such ores would be leased out to state-owned PSU Orissa Mining Corporation OMC only.
However,the areas,which are already with private companies under prospecting or mining lease would be excluded from the ambit of the new resolution.
The resolution was passed under the MMDR Act,1957 just three days ago and published in an extraordinary issue of Orissa Gazette said that OMC would make a fair and equitable distribution of minerals among the user industries for higher value addition in the State through appropriate long-term arrangements based on their requirements.
All pending applications for reconnaissance permits,prospecting lease and mining leases will be disposed as per the new resolution.
Orissa would move the Centre for approval of the resolution as required under the MMDR Act,said director of mining Deepak Mohanty. We would soon start an exercise to find out how much of the mine-bearing areas have not been leased out, he said.
An expert committee set up by the state government recommended that OMC be given exclusive rights over major minerals.
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