Odisha govt targets to double OMC's mineral production by 2019

Bhubaneswar: The State government today decided to enhance the production capacity of the Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) to 20 million tonnes by 2019.

"The government has decided to double ore production of OMC in the next three years. Presently, OMC's mineral production is 10 million tonnes, which include both iron ore and chrome ore," said Steel and Mines minister Prafulla Kumar Mallick.

Quoting the chief minister, Mallick said it has been decided to prepare a roadmap for enhancing mineral production of the state-owned OMC and the target could be achieved by increasing production of both iron ore and chrome ore.

Mallick, who attended a high-level meeting chaired by chief minister Naveen Patnaik, said "The government has also set a target of earning a revenue of Rs 6,600 crore as royalty from the mineral production, including 75 million tonnes of iron ore during the period."

Patnaik asked the OMC authorities to fulfill the raw material demand of the local industries who often complain about scarcity of ore.

The chief minister directed the officials to strengthen the enforcement wing of the steel and mines department and it was also decided in the meeting that the government would relax certain minor rules by amendment to meet the growing demands in the construction sector.