BHUBANESWAR: Emphasising on the need for fresh assessment of iron ore reserve in the State, geologists and experts have dared the government to reveal the source to justify its claims that the State is having 5,400 million tonne of iron ore reserve.

Fair evaluation

The experts associated with the mining industry, who met here on Saturday to analyse the recommendations of the Anwarul Hoda Committee on the new mining policy, said that the information of the Directorate of Geology, the Geological Survey of India (GSI) and the Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) did not concur with the government's claim.

"The practical assessment of iron ore reserve was done way back in 1970. Though the GSI and the IBM update information on ore reserve from time to time, nobody can say with authority as to how much ore we possess now," said R.C. Mohanty, president of Orissa-based Society of Geoscientists and Allied Technologists (SGAT).

He demanded that the government constitute a task force comprising experts having technical experience in the field of mineral development. "The task force should be asked to complete the study on ore reserve within a fixed timeframe."

"Let there be a fair assessment. We don't say the State has fewer amounts of ore than the claimed reserve or it is fooling the industries. There might be more iron ore reserve. We must find out what is the truth," Mr. Mohanty said.

While on many occasions the State Government claimed on the Floor of the Assembly that the State had 5,400 million tonne of iron ore, the IBM and the GSI maintained that Orissa had ore reserve below 5,000 mt. Both the Central Government organisations give different figures.

Noted mineral expert B.K. Mohanty said: "It is not clear if all the iron ore stored under the State's soil is minable. The government must present a clear picture to prospective investors."

The State signed some 45 Memoranda of Understanding with different companies to produce over 70 million tonnes of steel annually. Some 114 million tonnes of iron ore would be required every year to meet the industry demand.

Of late, doubts had been raised over availability of adequate iron ore.

Hike duty

Though SGAT did not endorse the view to ban iron ore export, it recommended hiking duty to discourage export. The experts did not agree with the government's policy of value addition. They were of the view that the policy would lead to monopolisation by a few steel producers.

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