BS reported that ArcelorMittal is still in the race for a chunk of the mineral rich Chiria mines in Jharkhand.

The report cited Mr Vijay Bhatnagar CEO of ArcelorMittal India as saying said that “Steel producers are in discussions with the Jharkhand government over Chiria mines. We are also party to such discussions.”

The Chiria mines, with reserves of 2 billion tonnes of high grade iron ore have been at the centre of an ownership battle for over four years. The mines were originally allotted to Indian Iron & Steel Company, which was merged with SAIL in 2005.

While SAIL claims the ownership of the Chiria reserves by virtue of the merger, the Jharkhand government disputes it. The differences pertain mainly to the renewal of 4 leases out of 10 iron ore mines in the Chiria and Gua region.

(Sourced from Business Standards)