Overview

• The Deputy Director of Mines in Jajpur issued the ₹1,902.72 crore demand on July 3 for an alleged shortfall in mineral dispatch during the fourth year of the Sukinda block MDPA.
• Odisha authorities based the claim on a revised assessment under Rule 12A of the Minerals Concession Rules and the Indian Bureau of Mines’ average sale price, seizing performance security.
• Tata Steel received the notice on July 4 and rejected the assessment, calling the calculation without substantive basis.
• The firm plans to pursue legal remedies before appropriate judicial and quasi-judicial bodies to contest the demand.
• The Sukinda Chromite Block, one of India’s largest chromite reserves, is a vital raw-material source for Tata Steel’s operations.