Suleipat iron ore mines, near Rairangpur in Mayurbhanj district, has got environment clearance from Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF), Government of India.
B C Dagara, the lease holder of the mine, is currently in the process of getting other clearances such as consent to operate from the state government before starting operation of the mine.
“We have been granted environmental clearance by MoEF, Government of India recently vide their letter number J-11015/278/2009-IA.II (M), dated 16 September, 2011 and we are in the process of getting other statutory approvals before we start operation of the mine,” Dagara sai.
Suleipat mine is spread over 618 hectare of land and has an estimated resource of 80 millionn tonne of iron ore. It has been non-operative for past few years after the lease period expired in 2005.
During 2010-11, Orissa Manganese and Minerals Ltd (OMM), a wholly owned subsidiary of steel maker Adhunik Metalik entered into 50:50 joint venture agreement with M/s Dagara Mines for the ownership, management and exclusive raising of iron ore. In the same year, Adhunik Metaliks board approved to start operation in Suleipat mines.
Adhunik Metaliks also has a captive iron ore mine at Kulum, in Keonjhar, with estimated reserve of 25 million tonne. The company is currently operating 0.45 million tonne per annum capacity integrated alloy steel plant at Rourkela.
