Orissa seeks Centre's intervention on ore exports from ports

Peeved over the irregularity in submission of information on export of ore generating from the state by some of the ports outside the state, the Orissa government has sought the intervention of the Centre to ensure that the details of ores received at different ports are supplied to the state director of mines.

The state Chief Secretary B K Patnaik has shot off a letter to the Union Cabinet secretary Ajit Kumar Seth in this connection.

"It is seen that almost all the ports excepting Paradip Port trust located in the state itself, are not furnishing the information regularly on the receipt of minerals through road and rail for export purpose to enable the state government to verify whether the minerals have been received against valid permit. The Ministry of shipping may be advised to ensure that the details of ore received at different ports are supplied to the Director of Mines, Orissa to co-relate with the quantity for which royalty payment has been made by the lessees”, Patnaik has said in his letter to the Cabinet secretary.

Patnaik also pointed out in the letter that the customs authorities at various ports are equally irregular in submission of the details of the minerals exported through the ports even though a decision was taken at a meeting of the Committee of secretaries held in May this year that such details should be shared by the customs department with the Orissa government.

The department of revenue may reiterate their instructions to the custom houses for supply of the information on a regular basis containing the party-wise, month-wise and mineral-wise details of mineral exported to the Director of mines-Orissa, Patnaik has suggested.

Stating that Orissa stands committed to curb illegal mining, Patnaik said that it is essential that the ports and customs authorities set up requisite systems for monitoring and also sharing information on a regular basis with the state government for verification of mineral being exported from the state.At the meeting of the Committee of secretaries held under the chairmanship of the Union Cabinet secretary in May this year, it was decided that the Ministry of shipping would advise all the ports in the country to adopt measures similar to those introduced by Paradip Port Trust authorities to streamline the movements of consignments by road and rail up to their port for export purpose. The measures include providing list of mineral exporters to the state government and Railways, verifying receipt of minerals against valid permit and not allowing unauthorized movement of minerals within the port.

The state will reiterate its stand of information sharing on ore exports with the authorities of five ports-Haldia, Vishakhapatnam, Kakinada, Gangavaram and Dhamara at a high-level meeting to be held under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary B K Patnaik on October 25.

The state steel & mines secretary Manoj Ahuja had recently written to the authorities of these five ports, calling for submission of information related to ore exports from these ports to the state director of mines at least once in every fort night for verification of the data with the transit permits issued by the mining offices of the state.