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Iron ore mining in India’s Karnataka state, banned for the past year on environmental concerns, may resume as early as this month, easing shortages According to orders by the Supreme Court, Mr HR Srinivasa, the state’s mines director and a member of a committee appointed by the court, “Some iron ore mines where no illegality has been found will be the first where mining will be allowed.” Mr Srinivasa said that “The court process is being followed and I expect production will start showing from the second week of August.” He’s also responsible for auctioning iron ore in the state and NMDC’s output. The current inventory and production from NMDC will be enough to meet requirements of steelmakers till the end of next month.” The court-appointed committee has identified 5 million tons of new ore inventory in the state that it will auction to meet local needs, he said. Since October, 23 million tons of ore have been sold via online auctions, including about 3 million tons from NMDC. Mining was halted in the state in July 2011 and extended to two other regions the following month. India’s Supreme Court allowed only state run NMDC Ltd the nation’s largest iron ore producer, to mine as much as 1 million tonnes a month and ordered all sales, including stockpiles, to be conducted through online auctions. In April, the court ordered 45 mines to seek government approval to resume operations. Companies need an endorsement from the Ministry of Environment and Forests once their licenses have been checked, it said on April 20.