With iron ore mine auction rules and draft tender documents for auction of mines under the Mines and Minerals Development and Regulation (MMDR) Act already issued, the Centre has urged Karnataka to speed up the auction process.
The MMDR Act brings in transparency in the allocation of natural resources such as iron ore. Karnataka has identified a few Category C mines for auction.
Tomar said, “In addition to 13 blocks identified by the State for ML and 9 blocks for PL-cum-ML, action should also be initiated for auction of leases for mines in cases where Supreme Court has cancelled the leases.”
“More areas under mineralization should be identified for auction. For exploration of such areas, central undertakings viz. GSI and MECL shall provide all assistance,” he added.
Steel plant plan Tomar also discussed with the Chief Minister the plan to set up a steel plant in the State through a special purpose vehicle (SPV) and reiterated the commitment of the Central government to the plan.
The Centre and State government have to decide the future course of action in case of Bharat Gold Mines Ltd. Issue of reservation of mine for VISL, Bhadravati also came up for discussion. “Quick action also needs to be taken for setting up of District Mineral Foundation in different districts,” Tomar said.
Siddaramaiah thanked Tomar for the visit and promised positive action in respect of issues that came up for discussion during the meeting. Senior officials from Ministry of Steel, Ministry of Mines and office of Chief Minister were present at the meeting.