Take steps to sell 800 million tonnes of iron ore: Yediyurappa

He tell officials to seek Centre’s nod to explore ore deposits in State

Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa on Friday instructed officials of the Mines and Geology Department to hold discussions with the Comptroller and Auditor General for the sale of 800 million tonnes of iron ore that had been extracted before the Supreme Court ruling on cancellation of the ‘C’ class mining leases.

He also told the officials to seek permission from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests for exploration of iron ore deposits in forest areas of the State.

Implement rules

The Chief Minister held a meeting with Minister for Mines and Geology C.C. Patil and told the department officials to take steps to implement the Karnataka Mines and Minerals Concessions (Amendment) Act, 2020, rules, revision and simplification of mining, granite leases, and distribution rules to bring more royalty to the government. Mr. Yediyurappa said funds would be released for conducting an aerial survey by deploying drones to check illegal mining activities.

Mr. Patil said ₹28 crore had been collected in the form of royalty from mining lease holders and the amount was being utilised for handling COVID-19 situation in the mining areas as per the instructions of the Centre.

Sand availability

On the demand for sand in the State, Mr. Patil said 38 million tonnes of sand was available against the demand of 45 million tonnes a year and the implementation of the new sand policy would fetch more revenue to the government.