Bhubaneswar: The auction of Karlapat iron ore and bauxite block has been put on hold.
The Directorate of Mines on Tuesday said that this has been done in compliance with the September 9 interim order of the Orissa High court.
A source had earlier told Odisha Bytes that the auction of the first bauxite mineral block will be held as scheduled unless a specific instruction is received from the HC, where a petition has been filed by an Odisha-based mining contractor.
Karlapat was among the 11 mineral blocks, including seven virgin mines, put up for auction by the Odisha government for which the bidding process began on Saturday.
Incidentally, Karlapat bauxite block lies near the Karlapat Sanctuary, a designated elephant corridor in the Kalahandi district, and is considered ecologically very sensitive.
In a letter to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, environmentalist Prafulla Samantra had earlier said that mining the Karlapat bauxite block would dry up 300 large and small streams in the sanctuary. “Not just the wildlife but even tribes and indigenous people living close to the forest and dependent on the resources will be adversely affected,” he said.
MINERAL BLOCKS
Of the blocks up for grabs, seven are iron ore blocks, two composite blocks of iron ore and manganese, one composite block of iron ore and dolomite and a bauxite block. Except for Nadidih (Bico), whose lease period expired before March 31, 2020, six blocks of Purheibahal, Chandiposhi, Jumka Pathriposhi Pahar,...
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