The Odisha government is planning to provide raw material linkage to Vedanta Alumina from Kodingamali bauxite reserves in Koraput district.
Vedanta would get bauxite from the Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC), which has been allocated the mines, Steel and Mines Minister Prafulla Mallick said on Wednesday.
"As per the long-term ore linkage policy, we would provide raw material to Vedanta Alumina. OMC would provide ore from its Kodingamali bauxite reserves to the company," said Mallick.
Vedanta, which has set up a one-million-tonne alumina refinery plant in Lanjigarh and a smelter in Jharsuguda in the state, is running both the plants at nearly 50 per cent capacity due to the shortage of raw material.
However, the problem of Vedanta would not be over soon as OMC is yet to get forest clearance for the mines from the Centre. The mines have a reserve of 84 million tonne of bauxite, said sources.
Meanwhile, the Odisha government has decided to auction five mines in the state.
"We have decided to auction five mines by August end or first week of September. The mines include four limestone and one manganese mine," said the Minister.
He said notification for the auction would be issued soon.
The five mines that would go under the hammer include two limestone mines located at Kotameta and Usakalabhagu in Malkangiri district, one in Garamara in Nuapada district, one at Jamapali in Bargarh district and a manganese mine at Lasarda Pacheri in Keonjhar district.
The state government has so far auctioned one iron ore mine at Gheraburnai-Sagasahi in Sundargarh under the amended MMDR Act, 2015.
--IANS
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