Digitisation of 169 mining leases completed

Close on the heels of Shah Commission seeking latest information on status of prospecting license (PL) applications, digitization of mining lease boundaries and renewal of mining leases in the state, the state government seems to have stepped up its efforts to furnish the same.

In a recent meeting, Orissa Space Applications Centre (ORSAC), the apex body of the state for space technology applications, apprised the state chief secretary BK Patnaik on progress made in differential GPS (DGPS) survey of mining leases.

ORSAC stated that out of 600 leases in the state, only 209 lessees have applied for the DGPS survey and work has already been completed in 169 mining leases. Similarly, survey work in 147 iron and manganese leases have been completed out of 154 lessees who applied for the DGPS survey. It may be noted that the Shah Commission after inspection of illegal mining activities in Orissa during its six-day visit has asked for demarcation of the reference point in respect of each iron and manganese leases of the state. The commission has directed the state government to conduct proper survey to find out whether the lessee is operating within the granted area or has transgressed beyond the granted area. Pattnaik has asked the ORSAC and steel and mines department to complete the entire exercise by January 31 and submit the same with the commission.

Earlier, the state government has constituted state level committee (SLC) and district level committee (DLC) for survey and demarcation of the lease boundaries, digitization of lease maps, superimposition of the satellite imagery with differential GPS (DGPS) survey map and its comparison with approved lease map and geo-referencing of mining maps.