CG NEWS: Chhattisgarh is losing crores every day as a result of the suspension of NMDC's transportation

Raipur. The conflict over the transit pass charge has caused transportation for the nation's largest state-run iron ore mining business, NMDC, to be halted for four days. there is a significant truck line-up close to Bacheli, and more than a dozen railway racks are waiting to be loaded. The state government, railways, and NMDC are all suffering significant losses as a result of this. According to reports, NMDC brings in roughly Rs 25 crore every day for the Chhattisgarh government. 

The central public sector enterprise National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC), operates iron ore mines in the Bastar division's Dantewada area at Bacheli and Kirandul. The move taken by the state forest department led the loaded rail rakes and hundreds of trucks coming to a standstill at Kirandul and Bacheli Since December 24 as the transit permit passes for iron ores were turned down on the ground that the mining giant NMDC should first settle the "pending royalty amount Rs 144 crore to Chhattisgarh".

Iron ores are transported daily from the two iron-ore complexes run by the Navratna mining firm in Dantewada by around 7-8 rail rakes in addition to hundreds of vehicles. "The NMDC's pending royalty of around Rs 144 crore remain due to Chhattisgarh. The mining organisation has been dilly-dallying the issue for long. The forest department has declined to issue transit passes to freight trains and trucks carrying iron ore from Dantewada. It's the revenue owed to the state government", chief conservator of forest (Jagdalpur) Mohammed Shahid expalained to the media.

Higher-ranking officials of the forest department and NMDC are now required to meet and discuss this problem in order to find a workable solution. That too as soon as possible to ensure that not only the livelihoods of thousands of people involved in the transport of iron ore continue, but also that through a variety of programmes lakhs of poor families in the state can receive direct benefits from the money the state government receives from transportation. Therefore, a swift resolution should be sought by all parties right away.