Nifty mining to resume

Copper producer Aditya Birla Minerals will resume mining activities at its Birla Nifty mine less than four months after it was closed due to a sinkhole.

The Department of Mines and Petroleum approved reopening of the mine last week, after ordering its closure in March.

The DMP has requested monthly updates on progress at the mine, including scheduling and geotechnical analysis.

Aditya Birla was earlier mired in an industrial relations dispute after putting the mine’s 400 workers on indefinite, unpaid leave following the incident.

At least 100 of these workers later accepted voluntary redundancies, whilst others threatened legal action.

Aditya Birla is majority owned by Hindalco Industries, a subsidiary of India’s Aditya Birla Group.

Production is expected to gradually increase through August, but will not reach optimal levels for some months after resumption of activities.

The company anticipates producing 16,000-18,000 tonnes during the remainder of the financial year, driving its share price up 2.2 per cent to 23 cents at the time of writing.