Officers of KIOCL, previously known as Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Limited, have requested for allotment of a mining lease in Karnataka, said a press release.
Babu M. Bhajantri, president, Officers Association of KIOCL (OAK) and officebearers of the association met the Deputy Commissioner of Dakshina Kannada district A.B. Ibrahim on Monday and submitted a memorandum to be presented to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah requesting for allotment of a mining lease in Karnataka.
Ore procurementThe DC was told that KIOCL stopped mining operations in Kudremukh in January 2006 following the verdict of the Supreme Court of India. This has seriously affected the operations of pellet plant, port facilities, captive power plant and the blast furnace unit.
At present, iron ore is brought from Chattisgarh, which is economically unviable and the company is faced with the prospect of closing down, endangering the livelihood of thousands of employees working in KIOCL.
Captive miningThe officebearers told the DC that due to non availability of captive mining, the company’s survival was in peril. If the State government allotted a mining lease in Karnataka itself, it could help the employees of KIOCL and their families indirectly, said the release.
