Bhubaneswar: Gearing up for auctioning 49 mines in the state, the Odisha government is slated to hold a high-level meeting on January 3 to give momentum to the process.
Officials said that the meeting is likely to give a final shape to the annual auction calendar for the identified mining blocks in the state. The proposed auction of gold reserves in Deogarh and Mayurbhanj districts is also expected to figure during discussion at the meeting.
A thorough review of the feasibility, inquiry status, and preparedness for auction of the proposed mining blocks will be conducted before finalisation of the auction calendar.
Sources said the list of primary, critical, and strategic mining blocks has already been prepared on the basis of a detailed examination. The assessment was carried out by the Director of Mines and Geology, Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC), Geological Survey of India (GSI), and Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL).
The high-level meeting to be held in Bhubaneswar is scheduled to be attended by senior officials, including the Additional Chief Secretary of the Steel and Mines Department, Managing Director of OMC Ltd, Director of Mines, Odisha, Deputy Director General of the Geological Survey of India, Chairman-cum-Managing Director of MCL, and the Regional Controller of Mines of the Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM).
