KIOCL Limited, formerly Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Limited, is a central public sector undertaking under the

ownership Ownership is the state or fact of legal possession and control over property, which may be any asset, tangible or intangible. Ownership can involve multiple rights, collectively referred to as '' title'', which may be separated and held by dif ...

of the

Ministry of Steel The Ministry of Steel is an executive branch agency of the Government of India that is responsible for formulating all policies regarding steel production, distribution and pricing in India. As of June 2024, the ministry is headed by a Secretary ...

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

, with its head office and administrative activities in

Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

. It has a pelletisation plant in

Mangalore Mangaluru (), formerly called Mangalore ( ), is a major industrial port city in the Indian state of Karnataka and on the west coast of India. It is located between the Laccadive Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bengaluru, the st ...

and an iron ore mine in

Kudremukh Kudremukha is the name of a mountain range and an individual mountain peak located in Chikmagalur district, in Karnataka, India. It is also the name of a small hill station and iron ore-mining town situated near the mountain, about 20 kilomet ...

(

Chikkamagaluru district Chikmagalur, officially Chikkamagaluru () is an administrative district in the Malnad subregion of Karnataka, India. It was called Kadur (''Cuddoor'') district till 1947. Coffee was first cultivated in India in Chikmagalur. The hills of Chikmaga ...

). The Kudremukh mine, one of the largest iron ore mines in the world, was closed in 2006. The

captive Captive or Captives may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Captive'' (1980 film), a sci-fi film, starring Cameron Mitchell and David Ladd * ''Captive'' (1986 film), a British-French film starring Oliver Reed * ''Captive'' (1991 ...

mining took place at Kudremukh on the Western Ghats range. The mined ore was transported 110 km through slurry pipelines running through the districts of

Udupi Udupi () also known as 'Odipu' () is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the administrative headquarters of Udupi district, and one of the fastest-growing cities in Karnataka. Udupi is one of the top tourist attractions in Karnataka an ...

and

Dakshina Kannada Dakshina Kannada district is located in the states and territories of India, state of Karnataka in India, with its headquarters in the coastal city of Mangaluru. The district covers an area nestled in between the Western Ghats to its east and the ...

up to the pelletisation plant in

Panambur Panambur is one of the localities in Mangalore famous as a tourist spot. It is also a major industrial area and the site of Karnataka's main port, New Mangalore Port. Major industrial plants, such as Mangalore Chemicals & Fertilizers and KIO ...

, adjacent to the premises of the

New Mangalore Port New Mangalore Port or New Mangalore Port Trust(NMPT) is an all-weather port at Panambur, Mangalore in Karnataka state in India. The total land area of the port is approximately . The New Mangalore Port is the deepest inner harbour on the wes ...

The pellet plant, with a capacity of 3.5 million tons per annum, was commissioned at Mangalore in 1987. The plant was stopped in 2011 but in 2014, it resumed producing and exporting pellets, running on ores supplied by NMDC Limited. The pellets have been shipped to countries like China, Iran, Japan, and Taiwan. In 2017, there were plans to restart captive mining operations, now at

Sanduru Sandūru (often written Sandur) is a town in Ballari district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the administrative seat of Sanduru taluka Sandur was ruled by the Ghorpade royal family of the Marathas.The present scion of Sandur is Aja ...

in the

Bellary district Ballari, formerly Bellary (pronounced ), is a major district in Karnataka. It is located at north-eastern part of Karnataka. This district belongs to Kalyana-Karnataka. This district was one of the biggest districts in Karnataka until the Vi ...

Controversies

In 2016, KIOCL planned to develop a commercial resort in the Kudremukh National Park, refurbishing some of its unused buildings since the closure of the mine. The project had not obtained an environmental clearance. In October 2016 the

Ministry of Environment and Forests The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) is an Government of India, Indian government Ministry (government department), ministry. The ministry Portfolio (government), portfolio is currently held by Bhupender Yadav, Union ...

ordered to stop the work immediately.

References

General references

Company overview
KIOCL Limited.
Brief overview of KIOCL limited
Ministry of Steel, Government of India. {{authority control Iron ore mining companies of India Companies based in Mangalore Non-renewable resource companies established in 1976 Indian companies established in 1976 Mining in Karnataka 1976 establishments in Karnataka Companies listed on the National Stock Exchange of India Companies listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange