Adhunik Metaliks Ltd said that its wholly owned subsidiary Orissa Manganese & minerals Ltd has entered into a joint venture with BC Dagara, the lessee of Suleipat iron mine.

The JV was approved by the Government of Orissa by giving single window clearance.

The mine has obtained required forest approval (working permission) from the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) to commence mining operations in 294 hectares of Forest Land already broken up prior to 1980.

Adhunik Metaliks in a statement said that the mine, which had obtained a working permission to produce 0.6 million tonnes per annum, has already started excavation and dispatches adding, it now has permission to produce 3 million tonnes per annum from the Suleipat mine from Indian Bureau of Mines.

Suleipat iron ore mine is located at Rairangpur in Mayurbhanj District of Orissa. The mine is spread over an area of 618 hectares with estimated resources of more than 80 million tonnes of high grade iron ore having average Fe content of 63.5 percent plus and production potential of around 3 million tons p.a. The mine is well connected through road and railways. It also has its own railway siding just 3 kilometers from mine head making logistic management very convenient.

OMML has also started operation of its 1.2 million tonnes pellet and will reach optimum capacity utilization in months to come. The company issuing low grade fines and after processing these through its beneficiation plant of 1.2 million tonnes, it is making high grade pellets.

(Sourced from Reuters & RTT)