The State Government on Wednesday informed the Odisha High Court that it has decided to extend the lease validity period of 18 iron ore and manganese mines under the MMDR Amendment Act-2015 shut down since May 2014 following a Supreme Court order. This information came in the form of an affidavit filed by an Additional Secretary of Steel and Mines Department in response to an order passed by the High Court on March 25. Also, the affidavit said all the leases have been intimated to execute the supplementary lease deed within a period of three months.
The HC had asked the Government to implement the Mines and Minerals Development and Regulation (Amendment) Ordinance-2015 and follow the direction of the Union Government permitting operation to the parties who are entitled for extension of term of lease in terms of the Ordinance by April 27. The HC order had come during a joint hearing of at least 24 writ petitions filed by lease holders, including Odisha Manganese and Minerals, KN Ram, Mesco, AMTC, KMC, Freegrade, Rungta, BI Co, HG Pandya, RP Sao, KJS Ahluwalia, Kaypee Enterprise, Avin Jain, Tarini Minerals and Narayani Sons having 26 mines.
Additional Secretary Sundar lal Seal in his affidavit also told the court that since the validity period of eight leases have lapsed prior to coming into force of the Amendment Act, the Government has tentatively decided to refuse extension of these leases. “These leases are not eligible for extension as per the provision made under Section 8A(9) of the Amendment Act,” the Government affidavit said.
These eight mines are Sonpathali and Tentulidihi Manganese Mines of OMM, Jalahuri & Manganese Mines, Jalahuri & Khondabondha and Jururu & Jalahuri mines of KMC, Dalpahar of Avin Jain, Jururi Iron Ore Mines of Tarini Minerals and Suruguturia Iron Ore mines of Narayani Sons. All these lease holders in their writ petitions had moved the court separately praying to quash the Cabinet decision of January 5, 2015 in which the State Government had decided to auction the mineral resources by pushing an ordinance irrespective of the fact that all trades relating to mineral resources are governed by the MMDR Act, which is a Central Act.
