State to initiate measures to operationalise Sukinda Chromite Mine

The Orissa government has decided to initiate measures to operationalise the Sukinda Chromite Mines (SCM) of the state owned Orissa Mining Corporation (OMC).

Steps would be taken for early conduct of environment impact assessment (EIA) and preparation of the Wildlife Management Plan (WMP) for this mine.

It was decided in a high level meeting chaired by the state finance minister Prafulla Chandra Ghadai in the state secretariat today. Senior officials of the steel and mines and forest and environment department were present in the meeting.

Sukinda Chromite Mines is an old mine owned by OMC. The mining lease (ML) was granted over 936.22 hectares to the corporation in 1966.

Out of the total leased area, the forest land is 700 hectares and OMC had filed Renewal Mining Lease (RML) applications with the government for 306 hectares.

While the corporation has received the stage-1 clearance from the Union ministry of environment and forests, the second stage clearance was made conditional to conduct of a environmental carrying capacity study in the Sukinda area and framing a Wildlife Management Plan.

Following these stipulations, the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), Dehradun, has been entrusted to conduct the environmental carrying capacity study. The cost of the study is estimated at Rs 2.6 crore and it would be shared by other mining units in the area. In this context, the steel and mines department has been asked to work out the modalities of proportionate distribution of cost by the lessees. The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) has been asked to submit the revised Wildlife Management Plan at the earliest. It may be noted, the SCM has remained non-operational for more than 10 years.