Odisha govt invites bids for iron ore, manganese mining lease

In its bid to ensure uninterrupted mineral linkage to various steel plants, the Odisha government has invited bids for grant of mining lease for 10 iron ore and manganese blocks in the state, official sources said on Saturday.

Of the 10 mineral blocks put for auction, seven were purely iron ore while remaining three are iron ore and manganese blocks.

The state government's Directorate of Mines on Friday issued the online auction notice for Nuagaon Iron Ore Block, Thakurani Iron Ore Block, Siljora-Kalimati Iron Ore & Manganese Block, Jilling-Langalota Iron Ore Block, Jaribahal Iron Ore Block, Roida II Iron Ore Block, Jururi Iron Ore Block, Narayanposhi Iron Ore & Manganese Block, Mahulsukha Iron Ore & Manganese Block and Ganuna Iron Ore Block, the sources said.

The state government also reserves five of the 10 blocks - Thakurani Iron Ore Block, Jaribahal Iron Ore Block, Roida II Iron Ore Block, Narayanposhi Iron Ore and Manganese Block and Ganua Iron Ore Block - for "Specified End Use".

However, there was no clarity on the nature of the "specified end users" and who would be eligible for taking part in the bidding, whether large and integrated steel manufacturers or secondary steel producers like sponge iron, pellet and pig iron makers.

The notification said the e-auction will be conducted on MSTC's online platform.

The state has invited both financial and technical bids both in physical and digital formats. The auction process is expected to be completed by December, 2019, the official said.

So far, the state government has successfully auctioned five mining blocks since 2015.