Sale price at Rs 5,600/tonne compared to raising cost of Rs 600

The All Odisha Steel Federation (AOSF), a body representing the interests of local steel units and sponge iron manufacturers, has stepped up the ante on mine owners, accusing them of making huge profits by selling iron ore to end use industries at exorbitant prices. AOSF held that after the notification of the state steel & mines department dated December 5 last year that made selling of at least 50% of their ore to local industries compulsory, two lessees- Sirajuddin and Indrani Patnaik had offered ore for sale to such units.

Competitive bidding not done for selecting pvt promoters

The office of the Comptroller & Accountant General (CAG) of India has slammed the Odisha government for entering into MoUs (memorandum of understanding) with industrial houses without any policy or guidelines for assessing the need for industries. The CAG which is conducting performance audit of commitments made to MoU signed companies on land, water and minerals, noted that pre-requisites for signing of MoUs with promoter companies was not prescribed.

The State Budget for 2013-14 may cross Rs 60,000 crore, about Rs 8,000 crore more than Rs 52,030.70 crore outlay proposed for 2012-13.

Odisha’s Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) for the next fiscal has been pegged at Rs 2.9 lakh crore, which is 11.53 per cent higher than the current year’s figure of Rs 2.6 lakh crore. “The Budgetary allocation for 2013-14 will be 10-15 per cent higher compared to 2012-13. The focus of the Budget will be on agriculture, education, health and infrastructure creation.

As Odisha gears up to meet additional power demand of 3517 Mw for rural electrification during the 12th Plan, it is facing a challenge to raise Rs 7500 crore needed to create matching transmission infrastructure.

The additional internal power demand of 3517 Mw is projected to be created by rural electrification taken up under Rajeev Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY) and Biju Gram Jyoti Yojana (BGJY). This is over and above the current peak power demand of the state pegged at 3500 Mw.

The Odisha Sponge Iron Manufacturers' Association is seeking a long-term policy to supply ore to local industries

Faced with shortage of raw material and high prices of iron ore, sponge iron makers in Odisha have asked state-controlled miner Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) to abandon the auction-based method of price determination. “OMC should abandon the current auction-based method of price determination and bring down the prices of its iron ore. The corporation should also dispense with the system of empanelment and its raw material may be made available to all state-based industries only,” said P L Mohanty, chairman of the Odisha Sponge Iron Manufacturers’ Association (OSIMA).

The Odisha government has decided to rope in Rail India Technical and Economic Services (Rites), the engineering and consultancy arm of Indian Railways, to make an assessment of land requirement for non-major port projects.

“We are going to engage Rites for assessing land need of non-major port projects in the state. We have already got government approval for the same,” said a top commerce & transport department official.

ML Rungta, Rungta Mines, Indrani Patnaik and Serajuddin among offenders

The vigilance department in Odisha has initiated cases against mine owners in connection with illegal mining. The miners against whom cases have been lodged include ML Rungta (Silijora-Kalamati iron ore & manganse mines), Rungta Mines Ltd (Jajang iron ore & manganese mines), Indrani Patnaik (Unchabali iron ore & manganese mines) and Sirajuddin & Company (iron ore mines). All these mine owners have their leases under Joda circle in Keonjhar district, minister for steel & mines Rajani Kant Singh informed the state assembly in a written reply.

PPT and Bhushan Steel among offenders, closure direction on Hindalco CPP

The State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) has issued showcause notices on eight industries in 2012-13 for causing pollution and violating the norms of the board. Three other industries- Hindalco Industries' captive power plant at Hirakud (Sambalpur), Singhal Enterprises Pvt Ltd-Hirma (Jharsuguda) and Shyam Metaliks & Energy Ltd-Lapanga (Sambalpur) have been served closure directions.

The state government has constituted a committee to look into cases of mining outside the lease area

After taking serious note of illegal mining beyond leasehold area in Odisha, the Shah Commission of enquiry has urged the state government officials and Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) to undertake joint field verification of such cases. "The Shah panel has asked the officials of departments of revenue, forest & environment and mining to take up field visits of such mines jointly with IBM. The panel has also called for submission of a report by the end of this month”, a senior government official told Business Standard.

Total of 108 lessees in the dock for producing ore in excess of the quantum approved under Act

Continuing its crackdown on excess ore extracted by mine owners, the Odisha government has initiated prosecution against 11 mine owners for raising ore beyond the approved limits of Environment (Protection) EP Act-1986. A total of 108 lessees are in dock for producing ore in excess of the quantum approved under EP Act. For the balance 97 lessees, collectors of respective districts have been asked to initiate prosecution. The violations have been recorded in case of iron ore, manganese, chromite, limestone, dolomite and quartzite mines.