NMDC must stop exporting iron ore: Raman Singh

NMDC must stop exporting iron ore: Raman Singh

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh Tuesday criticised state-run National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) for excavating Bailadila iron ore reserves for export purposes.

Addressing the assembly during a question hour, Singh said: ‘NMDC is annually excavating iron ore worth Rs.40 billion from Bailadila. Export of this rare natural resource must be stopped as it comes under the category of a national crime.’

‘NMDC had committed itself to setting up a plant at Nagarnar, near Jagdalpur, Bastar district headquarters. Till date, traditional worships have been performed thrice but the project is yet to take off,’ the chief minister added.

Singh’s statement came in response to a question raised by the opposition Congress about the awarding of a license to Essar Steel in the state’s southern Bastar region’s Bailadila.

NMDC is yet to set up a Romelt technology-based steel p1ant with 1.5 million tonnes per annum capacity at Nagarnar, for which the state government handed over 403 hectares land to it in 2002 despite strong protest by locals.

Bailadila hilly region has huge and the world’s best quality iron ore stocks that has been divided into 14 deposits and NMDC has been excavating mines in three bigger deposits. It is presently producing about 15.75 million tonnes of iron ore from its Bailadila sector’s fully mechanised mines.

(c) Indo-Asian News Service

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