The State Government on Friday issued a fresh notification for auction of 20 mines, whose lease period would expire on March 31, 2020. The last date for sale of tender document is December 30.
Identifying errors in its earlier notices for auction of the 20 iron ore and manganese mines, the Government had decided to annul the previous bidding process and go for a fresh one. The Directorate of Mines had received bids from 177 companies for auction of the 20 mines.
“It was detected that apart from subsidiary companies, the holding companies had also applied for the bidding in gross violation of the Mining Tender Act,” Director of Mines Dipak Mohanty said.
Taking note of this unfair bidding, the Government felt that a fair auction process could not be ensured as the price and premium discovery couldn’t be determined, he said, adding that the tender process would be completed by March 31 next year.