e-auctioning of iron ore in Bellary from today

The authorities have to ensure that 1.5 million tonnes (MT) of iron ore are auctioned every month and that the 25 million MT of ore stocked in Bellary (around 14 million MT), Chitradurga (around seven million MT) and Tumkur (around four million MT) are dispatched.

The auctioning will be conducted through the e-auction portal www.mstcecommerce.com, and will be held every Wednesday.

Online payment

Once the auctioning process is completed, the companies that have made online payment, will have to seek permits from the Mines and Geology and Forest departments to transport the ore.

To monitor the auctioning process, based on the CEC recommendations, the Supreme Court had ordered the setting up of a Committee. The Committee comprises APCCF Deepak Sharma, CCF U V Singh, and Director of Mines and Geology Department H R Srinivasa. The Committee is targeting the sale of four lakh MT of ore every week, to meet the monthly target of 1.5 MT.

While three additional KSRP platoons have been deployed to ensure that there are no law and order problems, precautions are being taken to ensure that there aren’t any irregularities in the transport of ore.

More weighbridges

Apart from the four existing checkposts in Metriki, Bandri, Kallalli and Bannihatti, the district administration has set up more checkposts on the inter-state border at Obulapuram, Kuditini (BTPS side) and Gaadiganur on NH 63. Additional weighbridges too have been set up, sources said.