Committee recommends opening of 26 mines; Govt to take final call

Bhubaneswar: The inter-departmental committee chaired by the development commissioner to decide the fate of 29 mines has recommended opening of 26 mines.

According to the director of mines, recommendation for opening of 26 mines has been given to the State government, which will take the final decision. Out of these 26 mines, 18 were closed on Supreme Court order.

The meeting was convened to decide the future of 29 closed mines in the State which includes 19 iron and manganese mines lying closed following a Supreme Court order, four operating under Express Order and six non-iron and non-manganese mines.

The meeting followed the guidelines of amended MMDR Act. According to the amended Act, the transitional period in the matter of captive mines will be 15 years while five years in the field of non-captive mines.

However, the lease-holders need to fulfill all the statutory clearance on which the State government will decide to open up the closed mines.