The Hindu Business Line : SAIL to get iron ore from Chiria mines

RANCHI: Jharkhand Government and the union steel ministry on Wednesday in-principle agreed to sort out a logjam in the allotment from the iron ore-rich Chiria Mines to the Steel Authority of Indian limited (SAIL) by October.

“Priority in allotting Iron Ore from the Chiria Mines will be given to the SAIL...And a decision to this effect will be taken by next month,'' Union Minister, Mr Ram Vilas Paswan and Jharkhand Chief Minister, Mr Shibu soren told a joint press conference here.

“That does not mean that we will ignore the private sector. After allotting to the SAIL, we will decide later on private sectors'' Mr Soren said while urging the Steel Minister to create job opportunities for the people of Jharkhand.

Assuring two lakh employment opportunities in the SAIl's multi-crore projects in Jharkhand, Mr Paswan said “I am happy that Mr Shibu Soren has agreed to the SAIL's claim on the Chiria mines after two former Chief Ministers, Mr Arjun Munda and Mr Madhu Ko da did not consider the claims, with Mr Koda even ignoring Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's advice to consider SAIL's claim.''

The SAIL claims to have ten mines, including Chiria in Jharkhand while the state government had been insisting that the SAIL could count out Chiria mines as its lease was given to ISSCO before its merger with the SAIL, leading both sides to approach the court to break the dispute.

“We have to see what can be done,'' Mr Paswan said when asked whether both the sides would withdraw cases as they agreed in principle on the iron ore allotment from the Chiria mines situated in Singhbhum areas of Jharkhand. - PTI

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