Panel to prepare checklist of RML in 15 days

The 12-member inter-departmental committee of the state government constituted to consider cases for renewal of mine lease applications will prepare a checklist of all 323 applicants.

The checklist which will contain details of statutory clearances of each of the applicants will help the panel to expedite disposal of their cases. It is also expected to ease the process of approving or rejecting an application for renewal.

“In the next 15 days, the inter-departmental panel will have a checklist of all RML (renewal of mining lease) applicants. The committee while taking a decision on renewal, will go by provisions of Mines and Minerals (Development & Regulation) MMDR Act-1957, statutory clearances obtained by the lessees and the recent notifications as well as resolutions issued by the steel & mines department to judge the merit of the cases,” mines director Deepak Mohanty said after the maiden meeting of the panel. The Odisha High Court had recently directed the state government to dispose all pending applications for mine lease renewal within three months. In October last year, the steel & mines department through a notification, had formed the inter-departmental panel headed by development commissioner cum additional chief secretary. The notification stated that proposals for renewal of mining leases shall be put up by the steel and mines department along with the recommendation of the committee before the state government f or the final approval or recommendation to the Central government, as the case may be, under the provision of MMDR Act-1957 and Mineral Concession Rules-1960, or otherwise.