Vedanta, Oil India emerge as the bidders in critical mineral auctions

12 Nov 2024 CW Team

The Mines Ministry has announced preferred bidders for eight critical mineral blocks bid out during the fourth round of auctions. Hindustan Zinc Limited (HZL), Vedanta, Oil India, Orissa Metaliks, and Mamco Mining have bagged these blocks. These blocks were bid out on auction premium offered by a company. Bidders quote the percentage of revenue they intend to share from mining proceeds. The highest auction premium has been quoted for the Barwar Phosphorite Block in Uttar Pradesh by Mamco Mining at 320%. Endolin-Isholin Graphite Block in Arunachal Pradesh got the second highest auction premium commitment at 237.50%, also quoted by Mamco Mining. At 2.55%, the Depo Vanadium and Graphite Block has received the auction premium. These blocks contain deposits of strategic minerals such as phosphorite, graphite, and vanadium, essential for high-tech and green energy applications.

Infrastructure Transport

15 Sep 2025

Cabinet Approves Key Highway and Rail Projects in Bihar Region

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the four-laning of the 84.2-km Mokama-Munger section of the Buxar-Bhagalpur high-speed corridor, a key industrial region in poll-bound Bihar. The Cabinet also sanctioned the doubling of the 177-km Bhagalpur-Dumka-Rampurhat railway line, which passes through Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal, at a cost of Rs 31.7 billion.The Rs 44.5 billion highway project will be constructed under the hybrid annuity model, a variant of public-private partnership. The Mokama-Munger stretch was the only remaining two-lane section of the 363-km Buxar-Bhagalpur corridor. Fou..

NGT Issues Notice on Bengaluru Twin Tunnel Project

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Wednesday issued notices in response to a petition filed by Bengaluru Praja Vedike and others, challenging the Bengaluru twin tunnel road project. Petitioners claim the project was “hastily announced” and bypassed mandatory environmental impact assessment procedures.Notices have been served to the Karnataka Government, Greater Bengaluru Authority, State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Ltd (B-SMILE), the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and project consultants.The 16.74-km twin-tube..

India’s Residential Sales to Dip Slightly in FY26

Residential sales in India’s seven major cities are projected to decline by up to 3 per cent year-on-year in FY26 to 620–640 million square feet (msf), amid a moderation in sales velocity, according to ratings agency Icra.In FY25, sales stood at 643 msf, down 8 per cent YoY, following a sharp contraction in new launches and moderated demand in the affordable and mid-income segments. This slowdown came after the sector posted a robust compound annual growth rate of 26 per cent in area sales between FY22 and FY24.Icra noted: “Having seen a strong upcycle, the sector entered an equilibrium ..