Karnataka govt recommends approval of 8 iron ore mines

Bangalore: Karnataka government has recommended approval of eight iron ore mines in the state with a total capacity of 5.5 million tonnes per year, said HR Srinivasa, director, department of mines of geology in the state.A decision on this by a Supreme Court-appointed committee is expected later on Wednesday, Srinivasa said. The recommendation includes a 2.2 million-tonnes-per-year mine operated by Sesa Goa in the state.[caption id="attachment_367080" align="alignleft" width="380"] The court had partially removed the mining ban earlier this year by allowing mining by category A mines. Reuters[/caption]The court had partially removed the mining ban earlier this year by allowing mining by category A mines, those with 50 hectares and with less or no illegalities, besides approving NMDC's output of 1 million tonnes per month.Exporters are free to export iron ore after meeting domestic requirement, but at higher-than-auction price, said Srinivasa, adding that it is currently not viable due to the 30 percent export duty on iron ore.Reuters