BHUBANESWAR: Even as the Supreme Court has sought a response from the Centre on the need for putting a cap on the extraction of iron ore in Odisha as is being done in Goa and Karnataka, union secretary of Mines VL Kantha Rao on Saturday asked the state government and miners to ramp up production.
Rao held a high-level meeting with senior officers of the Steel and Mines department, Geological Survey of India, Nalco, Indian Bureau of Mines, major steel manufacturers and industries association here and took stock of the situation and issues relating to the mining sector of the state. While emphasising improved mining activities and an increase in the production of iron ore, a key raw material in steel making, Rao sought to know the steps taken by the state government for the auction of new mines.
Even as the state government has lined up new mines for auction, additional chief secretary, Steel and Mines DK Singh said all stakeholders have an important role to play to make the auction possible. He is reported to have presented the steps taken by the state government for the survey and exploration of new mines.
Representatives of Tata Steel, JSW, Vedanta, ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel, ASSOCHAM, FICCI, ICC and CII spoke about the problems they faced in the mining activities and sought immediate intervention of the government both at the central and state level. This is the first visit of Rao to Odisha after taking over as secretary of the Ministry of Mines on September 1. Since Odisha is a major supplier of iron ore, the union secretary visited the state to get first-hand information on the sector from different stakeholders, official sources said.