BHUBANESWAR: The State Government has invited tenders for grant of mining lease though electronic auction process for 10 iron ore and manganese blocks. "The Government of Odisha has identified 10 minerals blocks (seven iron ore and three iron ore and manganese) for electronic auction and hereby invites tenders for the purpose of grant of mining lease," said the October 4 notice inviting tender (NIT) by the Directorate of Mines.
The Government has reserved four iron ore blocks of Thakurani, Jaribahal, Roida-II and Ganua and the iron ore and manganese block of Narayanposhi for specified end use. This will provide an opportunity to secondary steel producers like sponge iron, pellet and pig iron makers, who have been debarred from the auction process so far, for bidding.Financial bids are invited in digital format only while technical bids are invited both in digital and physical format from eligible bidders.
Detailed tender document along with timelines, notifications, updates and other details for the e-auction process for the mineral blocks are available in electronic form only. The last date for purchase of tender document after payment of a tender fee (Rs 5 lakh for each block) on MSTC website of e-auction platform is November 15, 2019 and the last date for submission of the bid is November 18, 2019.
Tender has been invited for all the seven iron and manganese blocks identified for auction in phase-I. Though the Steel and Mines department had kept 13 blocks for auction in the second phase NIT for which is scheduled to be issued on October 14, it advanced the auction of three iron ore blocks, Jaribahal, Roida II and Jurudi located in the mineral rich Keonjhar district.
As the State Government is making all out efforts to auction and grant mining lease to those 24 iron ore and manganese blocks whose lease period is expiring by March 2020, the new nine blocks (8 iron ore and one manganese) will be put to auction after the second phase bidding is over, official sources said. The auction of working mines got delayed due to legal impediments. The process has been expedited after revision of the mining area limit by the Central Government from 10 sq km to 58 sq km, the sources added.
Electronic auction